Mary Ellen was born November 3, 1945, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville, IL. She attended high school at the Academy of Notre Dame and graduated in the class of 1963. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.
After graduation, Mary Ellen taught English at O’Fallon Township High School. She subsequently taught English and Speech Communication at Mascoutah Junior High School. Mary Ellen then chose to work part-time at Belleville Area College (now Southwestern Illinois College) as a teacher of English as a second language while also caring for her children. She then served as an aide at Belleville Township High School East in specialized education.
John and Mary Ellen were married on June 5, 1970.
Mary Ellen was a member of the American Association of University Women and worked to promote gender equity in higher education. She was a member of the McKendree Writers Association, Wednesday Writers, and Third Saturday Writers. Mary Ellen also participated in the Gateway Postcard Club of Missouri. She was as a coach for the St. Margaret of Scotland Speech Team, and on the Board of the Bellarmine Speech League for the Archdiocese of St. Louis Missouri. Mary Ellen served as the Vice President of Programming for the Friends of the Belleville Public Library.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Walter Theodore and Mary Margaret (Burns) Dingerson, her uncle, Eugene Joseph Burns, and her son, John Wesley Bertram II.
She is survived by her husband, John Wesley Bertram, her daughter, Jennifer Ellen (Bertram) Ohs, son in-law, Richard Ryan Ohs, and beloved grandchildren, Evelyn Anne, Catherine Ellen Josephine, Ryan Walter Paul, and Marian Elizabeth, as well her dear extended family members.
The visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 9:30 am at Lake View Funeral Home, 5000 N Illinois Street, Fairview Heights, Illinois 62208. The funeral service will begin at 10:30am.
