Mae Elley

Submitted Story

Published: Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

  Mae Margaret Mundell Elley was born  Sept. 26, 1916, in Deadwood, S.D., to Alice Clark Mundell and Sherwood Horace Mundell. She had one younger brother, Sherwood Horace "Munde" Mundell. She attended the Deadwood schools and graduated from Deadwood High School in June 1934 at the age of 17. After a year out of school, Mae attended Dakota Wesleyan University at Mitchell, S.D., graduating in June of 1939 with a double major in music and business education. At Wesleyan she met her future husband, Wallace Houston Elley of Hot Springs, S.D. They were married Sept. 5, 1937, and returned to school together her junior year and his senior year. After graduation, the Elleys went to Merriman, Neb., for their first year of teaching, as there was a law in South Dakota that married women couldn't teach in South Dakota and men had to be married. This was the heart of the Great Depression and all jobs were saved for family men. After one year in Merriman, the two of them found higher paying teaching positions in North Loup, Neb., where Houston ultimately became superintendent of schools and Mae taught in the North Loup High School until the birth of their first child, Michael Houston Elley, in February 1944. World War II was going strong and Houston enlisted for service but failed his physical, so he taught in North Loup until the summer of 1946 when the Elleys moved to Gothenburg, Neb., a larger community in the center of the state. They lived there for six wonderful years and Patricia Alice was born on March 30, 1947, in Gothenburg. During these years both Mae and Houston were doing graduate work at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Two summers during these six years the family spent at Sylvan Lake Resort in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where Houston was recreation director for the resort and Mae was organist and pianist for the many conventions convened there during the summers. In 1952, The Elleys moved to Omaha, Neb., where Houston was the first principal of Omaha Westside Schools, the pilot school for the state of Nebraska, and Mae taught in the Omaha system of high schools. In 1962 they moved to West Covina, Calif., where Houston taught in West Covina High School and Mae taught in the sister school of Edgewood High School. Mae retired from that teaching position in the spring of 1978. During the California years, the Elleys bought an entire valley from a rancher in the Southern Black Hills and built a summer home which they enjoyed with their many friends for all the years remaining in their lives. Mae and Houston traveled extensively during their retirement years touring the United States on formal tours and traveling by motorhome. They also traveled in Europe before Houston's death in February of 1995, after they had moved back to the Black Hills, settling in Rapid City, S.D., where their daughter taught in the local high school. Mae was active in her church all her life, using her musical talent and training for every organization with which she was associated. She was an active member of P.E.O, having joined a Pasadena Chapter originally, and later transferring to Chapter CK P.E.O. in Rapid City. Mae played piano with dance bands from high school age on until she had her children. Even after having her family she continued to teach tap-dancing. May, of Rapid City and Custer, S.D., died May 15, 2009, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. She was 92. Mae was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years; her parents; and her brother. She is survived by one son, Michael Houston  (Karen) Elley, of Hermitage, Tenn.; and one daughter, Patricia Alice Elley, with whom she made her home the last years of her life; one granddaughter, April Dawn (Phil) Elley Brandenburg of Glendale, Calif. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 22, at the First United Methodist Church in Rapid City with the Rev. Doug Diehl officiating. A second Celebration of Life will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 23, at First Baptist Church in Custer with inurnment at the Custer cemetery. The family has established The Mae Elley Memorial. A  guest book can be signed at www.osheimschmidt.com.