Mary Ellen (Thorson) Machan, age 76, Brownsburg, passed away on April 24th, 2018. Mary Ellen is survived by her two children Cheryl (Dan) Anderson and Warren (Cindy) Machan and six wonderful grandchildren and her sister Kathryn (Thorson) Caskey and foster brother Ron Rowin. Her husband of 56 years, Wayne, of Brownsburg is recently deceased. Mary Ellen was born in Stoughton, Wisconsin on July 16, 1941. She had a happy childhood growing up on a dairy farm. She enjoyed farm life, dressing up the farm cats, learning to ride horses and driving tractors - and of course, cleaning out the chicken cages and occasionally helping milk the cows. She proudly graduated at the top of her high school class and then proceeded on to the University of Wisconsin where she earned her Elementary Education degree with honors. Mary Ellen and Wayne were married in June, 1962 and she worked as an elementary school teacher for nearly five years before deciding to focus her time on raising the family. Her passion for teaching remained, so she continued to substitute teach in the Brownsburg school system for many years. Mary Ellen enjoyed the simple things in life; reading, playing cards, going to garage sales and doing crossword puzzles. Her favorite TV show was Judge Judy and she never missed an episode. She was also very competitive - especially in cards. She and Wayne spent 20 years playing competitive Bridge; winning numerous regional tournaments. She always claimed to hold the Machan family lead in wins at Euchre and Hearts. In 1984, Mary Ellen and Wayne began their second lives traveling the world and spending time with friends who lived around the country ranging from Canada to Florida. She enjoyed spending time outdoors -long walks, kayak trips through the mangroves of Florida and she had a life list of sighting nearly 1,000 birds. Mary Ellen had a profound positive impact on all her family and friends. She was accomplished in life at all things that matter: Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mom, Grandmother and Friend. Mary Ellen did not want a memorial service, but she wanted her family and friends to celebrate her in life and their memories. Contributions can be sent directly to Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org or the Audubon Society at www.audubon.org