[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 169 (Saturday, December 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING MARY ELLEN BRANDELL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DAVE CAMP

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 17, 2010

  Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mary Ellen Brandell, 
who lost her courageous battle with leukemia on September 24, 2010.
  I first got to know Mary Ellen when she was working at Central 
Michigan University, and I was just beginning my political career. She 
gave this young candidate a lesson in Mt. Pleasant and Isabella County 
politics and the confidence to ultimately win a congressional campaign.
  Her kindness has stayed with me throughout these years, as I have 
grown closer to the Brandell family.
  In fact, her son Jim is my Chief of Staff. Now a decade into service 
for this institution, Jim carries with him the sensibilities instilled 
by Mary Ellen: Family, faith, and true citizenship.
  For far too many people, these are mere words, but for Mary Ellen, 
these were the pillars on which she built and lived her life. And they 
served her well. She was a constant presence in the Mt. Pleasant 
community. From continuing her work with the ever-growing Central 
Michigan University, to her extensive list of charities including most 
recently with the Isabella County Sesquicentennial Committee, Woodland 
Hospice, Access to Recreation, and the Rotary Club. In fact, her 
efforts were so well recognized that she was named Mt. Pleasant Citizen 
of the Year.
  She was also a world traveler, taking yearly trips with Jim to see 
new corners of our planet. She valued the time she spent with her 
family, but also used these opportunities to meet distant relatives and 
make new friends. She was even utilized in her role as a community 
leader of Mt. Pleasant to reach out to sister cities.
  Even with these public and global accomplishments, I know that Mary 
Ellen's proudest accomplishment was her family, which includes seven 
children and fifteen grandchildren. She has given them the love and 
nurturing they needed to grown and excel in their careers and she led 
by example, by returning to school and getting her master's, specialist 
and doctoral degrees, after her seventh child was born. And she put her 
family first, selflessly caring for her husband Dick at home for many 
years as his health declined prior to his death in 2004.
  Mary Ellen was a remarkable woman, and one that cannot be replaced. 
She will be remembered for all of the lives that she had touched. I 
will be forever grateful for her kindness and generosity.

                          ____________________