Feb. 3, 1925 – April 25, 2010

Mary Ellen Dwyer-Hipenbecker, 85, of Waukesha, died at Waukesha Memorial Hospital on Sunday, April 25, 2010. She was born in La Crosse on Feb. 3, 1925, to Dr. Eugene Herbert and Lillian (nee Johnson) Townsend.

Mary Ellen was a graduate of La Crosse Central High School and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a bachelor’s degree in education. She taught at Butler Middle School for many years. She was a longtime member of P.E.O., WEA and Southminster Presbyterian Church. On Sept. 28, 1996, she married Robert Hipenbecker at Southminster Presbyterian Church.

She will be sadly missed by her husband, Robert of Waukesha; her daughters, Sue (Jerry) Spahn and Jane (Kevin) Allen, both of Waukesha; and stepchildren, Greg (Lynn) Hipenbecker of Brookfield, Ron Hipenbecker of Brookfield and Jan (Ron) August of Nashotah. She was the dear grandmother of Jennifer Woyahn, Katy Allen, Andrew and Sara Caracci, Kim (Kurt) Weber and Rob Hipenbecker and great-grandmother of Katarina Weber. She is further survived by her brothers, the Rev. Allan (Carla) Townsend of La Crosse and John (Peggy) Townsend of Amherst, Mass., as well as nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Jack Dwyer, in 1977, as well as her parents.

Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. until the 5 p.m. funeral service Saturday, May 8, at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 200 Richard St., Waukesha. Private interment will be held at Prairie Home Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to P.E.O. Executive Office Treasurer’s Dept., 3700 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312, or to Southminster Presbyterian Church, 200 Richard St., Waukesha, WI 53189.

For further information, please call Randle-Dable Funeral, Cremation and Preplanning Services at 547-4035 or go to www.waukeshafunerals.com to leave an online tribute.