Mary Ellen Malone’s story is so intertwined with her parents, her brother and her husband, Dennis F. Sullivan, that it’s difficult to tell any of those separately. Although she was often called “Mame” or “Mamie”, most official documents list her as “Mary Ellen”.

Mary Ellen was a product of the U.S. western frontier. Her parents both left home as young, single adults and headed to the Wyoming Territory which was still rife with Indian wars and growing railroads. The family started in Cheyenne but moved where “the work was” including Nebraska, Colorado and Nevada.

Ultimately Mary Ellen moves to Los Angeles where she spends her last days.