Shewalter was an enthusiastic teacher, busy mom
Mary Ellen “Mel” Shewalter of Butler started international field trips for the Butler High School French club, and would show up at her children's’ sports events dressed in outrageous costumes to cheer on their teams.
Shewalter died Jan. 20 at age 87.
Liz Goodwin, the oldest of the seven children of Mary Ellen and her late husband, T. William Shewalter, described her mother as “a big personality.”
Goodwin, who was a member of the high school swimming, basketball and track teams, said her parents attended all of their children's’ games and meets, but her mom would occasionally surprise everybody by showing up in a costume. She said her brothers were on the football, basketball and swimming teams and her sister was a swimmer.
“We just didn’t know who mother would be dressed as,” Goodwin said. “She would dress up like Santa Claus for high school swimming.”
Other times she would dress like a cheerleader, but the goal always was to encourage other parents to cheer for the team, she said.
“Quite a big personality. She enjoyed making people happy,” Goodwin said.
One of her brothers, Bruce Shewalter, who now lives in Hawaii, said his mother sometimes wore costumes to his football games and swim meets.
He said it could be a bit embarrassing when one of his fellow students would say, “Hey man, is that you mother over there in the Santa Claus outfit?”
He said she was involved in her children's activities and would throw parties so children could get to know each other.
“She was hospitable and went out of her way for people,” Shewalter said.
Mary Ellen Shewalter’s started her career in education as a substitute teacher. She eventually landed a full-time job teaching French to ninth- and 10th-grade students at Butler Intermediate High School. She retired in 2002 after more than 20 years of service.
“She was a substitute at the high school. I’d be surprised to see my mom in the classroom,” Shewalter said.
“I walked in a couple times and there was my mother,” Goodwin said.
Students appreciated her when she became a full-time teacher. She was the first teacher in the school district to organize trips for French Club students to Paris, France, and Montreal, Canada.
One of her French students told Shewalter his mom took the class to see Jim Morrison’s grave during a trip to France.
“She became a French teacher and that was how everybody knew her,” Shewalter said. “Your mom is so cool. Your mom is great,” is what fellow students would say.
Goodwin said her mother frequently traveled with her mother and sisters and wanted to share the opportunity to travel with students. She said her mother felt the field trips were the only opportunities some students would have to see another country. Her mother raised money for the trips and arranged for chaperones to come along, she said.
Her mother also organized bus trips for students to Pittsburgh to see the Penguins and Pirates when they played teams from Toronto and Montreal, she said.
At home, she was an excellent cook and enjoyed hosting big parties, Goodwin said.
“Our family has a big sense of humor. We grew up with lots of laughs and lots of chaos,” Goodwin said. “Every Christmas, there would always be someone new at the table because she wanted to make sure her friends weren’t alone for Christmas.”
