Mary Aileen (Dieckhoff) Ely, of New London, Wisconsin passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at the age of 82.

Mary was born on January 26, 1944 to Alfred and Marilla (Remmel) Dieckhoff in Neenah, Wisconsin. She graduated from Neenah High School in 1962 and earned a BS in Education in 1966 from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. She taught elementary school in Kimberly, Wisconsin for five years and did substitute teaching in Neenah before moving to the Readfield area in 1973.

Richard (Dick) W. Ely became Mary’s husband on December 4, 1971 in Neenah. Dick and Mary founded Valley Adhesives & Coatings Corp. in Appleton, in 1977. This very successful business was sold to Ellsworth Adhesives in 1996 and is now known as The Glue Factory. They also started another business, Aqua Tec Coatings Corp. in Appleton, in 1994, and owned a logging operation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After selling the businesses by 2001, Mary and Dick began enjoying winters in Mesa, AZ and spending much of the summer at their cabin on Nevin’s Lake, outside of Munising, Michigan. They never really retired though, as they started Pinehurst Ranch Subdivision in 2004 which kept them busy when they were home.

Mary was an avid bowler (still is), enjoyed doing craftwork and crossword puzzles. Following retirement, she became involved in volunteer work and has been delivering Meals on Wheels in New London since 1997, volunteered at Theda Clark Hospital for several years, and is now involved in the STEP program volunteering in the New London school system. It gave her much joy to be able to help others. She also got involved in many activities in Arizona, and especially enjoyed the challenge of playing shuffleboard. In 2006 and 2007 Mary won the Bronze Medal in the Senior Olympics in shuffleboard. She was very dedicated to her grandchildren, who were the joy of her life.

Mary was a member of the Medina-Dale-Readfield Lionettes for many years and held several offices, including President. She was a Packer fan from the day she was born and continued to follow them her entire life – even attending a winning Superbowl on her birthday in New Orleans in 1997.

Survivors include her son, Christopher (Erin) Ely; bonus children, Jodi (Frank) Golisek-Nelc, and Michelle Townsend; bonus daughter-in-law, Lisa Townsend; grandchildren, McKenna Elizabeth, Emily Rose Ely, Kyle Michael Ely, Kylee Faye Purdy, Danica Grace Purdy, Aspen Marie Ely, Nicholas Davis, Melissa (Michael) VanDerBurght, Brady Townsend and Dylan Townsend; great-grandchildren, Landon Davis, Matilda Davis, Mason VanDerBurght, Madden VanDerBurght, Maxwell Frank, and Hunter Frank. Mary is further survived by her sister, Nancy (Grover) Cowling; her niece, Patricia (Jon) LeMahieu; nephews, Grover Cowling III, Steven (Ann) Cowling, Mark (Mary) Cowling, James (Mary) Cowling, and Daniel (Gerri) Cowling; sisters-in-law, Maxine (Donald) Thomas, and Dellrose (Terry) Kovarik; brothers-in-law, Francis Ely, and John (Linda) Ely; and many other very special friends she met in Arizona and the Upper Peninsula.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 46 years, Richard Ely; her parents, Alfred and Marilla Dieckhoff; her brother, James (Mary) Dieckhoff; infant brother, Richard; bonus child, Michael Townsend; granddaughter, Victoria Davis; sister-in-law, Nancy Ely; brother-in-law, Gerald (Bonnie) Ely; and nephew, Thomas Dieckhoff.

The Memorial Service for Mary will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Cline & Hanson Funeral Home in New London, Wisconsin, with Fr. David Hoffman, of Most Precious Blood Catholic Church officiating. The visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Entombment will take place at Highland Memorial Park Mausoleum, Appleton, Wisconsin.