Mary Ellen Laden

Mary Ellen Laden, 70, loving daughter, sister and aunt, and long-time teacher, went to be with the Lord on July 24, 2026.

Mary Ellen was born June 29, 1956, in Mountain View, Mo. to Edgar “Frog” and Betty Laden, and was raised in Willow Springs along with her big brother Mike and little sister Sarah.  She graduated from Willow Springs High School, and received a degree in education from Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield.  She later received a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

For 32 years Mary Ellen taught Dual Enrollment English, Journalism, Yearbook, and Creative Writing at Jefferson City High School.  She was also an adjunct professor at Lincoln University and an English professor at Linn Technical College.  She was proud of her work, and touched the lives of countless students over the years. 

She led the school’s Write On creative writing magazine for many years, receiving national accolades. She also won the school district’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2003.  Her colleagues called her the “Grammar Queen,” because she was so good at correcting and improving projects the students were working on.  She would have corrected the previous sentence for ending it with a preposition!

In retirement, she focused on her long-time interest of designing original clothing for miniature dolls, opening an Etsy shop (MinisByMimi) and selling to collectors around the world. She ran her shop for 15 years, and was a member of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans.

Mary Ellen was nicknamed Mimi because that’s what her niece, Claire Briggs, called her.  The two had a special relationship – she never missed any of Claire’s events growing up, and always looked forward to their shared time.  Claire loved Mimi very much.

Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her parents and brother, and survived by her sister Sarah and niece Claire. 

Visitation will be 9-10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1^st, at St. Peter Catholic Church in Jefferson City, followed by a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Msgr. Robert A. Kurwicki, officiating. 

The family suggests memorials to the Audubon Society, as Mary Ellen enjoyed birdwatching in her later years.

Services entrusted to Trimble Funeral Homes – Jefferson City.    trimblefunerals.com

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