Mary Ellen Devine

Mary Ellen Devine, 89, a life-long resident of Racine, Wisconsin and member of Sacred Heart Parish, passed away on August 17, 2025 in Sandown, NH. Born Mary Ellen Johnson in 1935 to Milton Johnson and Marie (Finnegan) Johnson, Mary Ellen moved to the East coast to be near her children after the death of her husband in 2022.

Mary Ellen's life was dedicated to her family, faith and her friends. She was generous, selfless, thoughtful and humble.

Mary Ellen enjoyed reminiscing about her 1940s/50s childhood and youth. She grew up in the neighborhood adjacent to Sacred Heart's original church building, where a handsome young lad with a dark wool pea cap caught her eye, and who would later become her husband. She developed an early passion for baseball as a die-hard Racine Belles fan. She attended most of the Belles' home games and some special away games with her friends and delighted in the induction of the All-American Women's Baseball League into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Her enthusiasm for the game continued throughout her life, with the Milwaukee Brewer's current historic run providing much joy in her last few months.

She married the love of her life, Clement Devine Jr., at the log chapel at Notre Dame in 1960 and dedicated her life to raising and supporting their four children. She never missed a sporting event, meeting or activity, providing unwavering support and innumerable station wagon rides. In time, she dedicated the same energy to her grandkids, always attending and delighting in their activities and events.

Amidst the normal chaos of family life, Mary Ellen managed to learn and master a variety of art forms (knitting, quilting, ceramics, design). Her humility belied her creative skills, but her talents and perfectionism produced a variety of beautiful objects cherished by her children and grandchildren and also ignited her family’s passion for recreating the same magic she created every Christmas season.

Mary Ellen is survived by her children Carrie Devine of Concord MA, Eileen Devine of Sandown NH and Thomas Devine (Sofia) of Topsfield MA, daughter-in-law Dawn Devine, grandchildren Taylor Devine, Conor Devine, Elena Grimslid, Ciara Devine and Deaclan Devine, brother- and sister-in-law, David and Sharon Devine and her nephews Bradley (Alex) Nelsen, Dan (Renee) and Mike (Allie) Devine, grand nieces Belle Nelsen and Saoirse Devine and grand nephews Ethan Nelsen, Liam Devine, and Patrick and Jack Devine.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Marie Finnegan Johnson and Milton Johnson; husband Clement Devine, Jr., son Patrick Devine, sister Suzanne (Johnson) Nelsen, brother-in-law William Nelsen and cousins Patrick Finnegan and Hugh Finnegan.

Mary Ellen was a loving and dedicated wife, a generous and selfless Mom and grandmother, a thoughtful friend and a humble human being who cared about others' suffering and taught her children to do good in the world. She will be forever missed.

The family will hold a private mass at Notre Dame, followed by a public visitation at Holy Cross Cemetery,Hwy 32 5600 Holy Cross Road on Friday, September 5, 2025 from 11:00am -12:00pm with a committal service to follow at 12:00 p.m..