Dr. Mary Ellen Harlan Saterlie, educator, scholar, artist, historian, and devoted public
servant, passed away peacefully at Broadmead Retirement Community at the age of
96.

Born in Fallston, Maryland, she was the daughter of J. Maurice Harlan, a dairy farmer,
and Margaret Bennett Harlan, a teacher. She grew up on her family's historic Belvedere
Farm, which has been owned and farmed by the Harlan family since 1823. Those early
years shaped her lifelong love of learning, hard work, history, and the beauty of rural
life. She drove the tractor, worked alongside her family in the fields, started a 4-H Club,
and proudly showed Jersey cows at the county fair. Saturdays were spent taking art
lessons at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore, reflecting the creative spirit that remained
with her throughout her life.

A gifted student, Mary Ellen skipped second grade and graduated from Bel Air High
School at 16 years of age. She earned her bachelor's degree from Towson State
Teachers College in 1950 and received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in
1971.

Dr. Saterlie dedicated her career to Baltimore County Public Schools, beginning as an
English and social studies teacher at Stemmers Run Junior High School. She advanced
through roles as Supervisor and Curriculum Coordinator before being appointed
Associate Superintendent for the Division of Instruction for Baltimore County Public
Schools, becoming one of the highest-ranking women in the system and among the first
women to hold such a leadership role in Baltimore County education.

Throughout her career, she championed curriculum development, ethical leadership,
values education, racial understanding, and community engagement. She chaired
numerous countywide committees addressing issues such as drug abuse prevention,
racial and cultural relations, and values education. The framework she helped develop
became a model adopted by schools throughout Maryland and beyond. While serving
as Chair of the Baltimore County Community Relations Commission, she also led
studies addressing racial stability and fair housing, reflecting her lifelong commitment to
equality and justice.

In addition to her work in public education, Dr. Saterlie served as a Faculty Associate
and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Notre Dame of Maryland University,
Goucher College, Loyola College, and the University of Maryland.

After her retirement from the school system, she studied painting at the Schuler School
of Fine Arts in Baltimore, continuing to develop her artistic talents and deep appreciation
for creative expression.

Guided by her Quaker values, she devoted her life to service through organizations
including Little Falls Monthly Meeting of Friends, Broadmead, Sheppard Pratt, and
numerous civic and educational boards. She served as Vice Chairman of the Chamber
of Commerce of Baltimore County and was a member of the Johns Hopkins and Roland
Park Women's Clubs. She also served as Chair of the Friends School of Baltimore,
Chair of the Miles White Beneficial Society of Baltimore City, Chair of the Broadmead
Lifetime Care Center, and Vice President of the Board of Trustees of Sheppard Pratt.
Her leadership was consistently marked by humility, compassion, and integrity.

Mary Ellen met the love of her life, William Martin Saterlie, while they were both
teaching at Stemmers Run Junior High School. They were married in 1955 at Little Falls
Monthly Meeting of Friends and built a life centered on love, family, faith, and service.
Together they shared 62 wonderful years of marriage until his passing in 2017. Their
home on North Charles Street became a welcoming gathering place where family and
friends were always greeted with warmth, kindness, and generous hospitality.

Mary Ellen was an accomplished quilter, painter, writer, and historian. She authored
Tally Ho and Some History of My Lady's Manor and wrote extensively preserving the
history of her childhood farm in Fallston, Maryland.

Mary Ellen believed that learning never ended. Even after retiring, she continued to
paint, quilt, research local history, and write. She found joy in creating beautiful things
by hand and in preserving the stories of the places and people she loved. Her hand painted Christmas cards, carefully stitched quilts, and written histories remain treasured gifts to those fortunate enough to receive them.

Although widely admired for her intelligence and leadership, those who knew Mary Ellen
best remember her quiet strength, unwavering integrity, generous spirit, and genuine
interest in others. As one colleague described her, she was "one of the most intelligent
women in education, who managed her power with quiet dignity and reserve."

Mary Ellen is survived by her beloved daughter, Laura S. Delozier; son-in-law, Harold
Chamberlain Green of Monkton, Maryland; granddaughter, Samantha A. Marchant of
Monkton, Maryland; grandson, Joseph W. Delozier IV of Lexington, Kentucky; cherished
great-grandson, Rhodes H. Poretz; brother, William A. Harlan; sister, Alice H.
Remsberg; goddaughter, Ann N. Lawton; nephew, George S. Nyquist of Baltimore;
nephews, William H. Bridenbaugh of Glen Arm, Edwin H. Remsberg of Fallston, John
Charles Remsberg of New Providence, Thomas K. Remsberg of Orwigsburg, Clifford A.
Harlan of Fallston, and Wesley Ross Shellhammer of Fallston; nieces, Mary E.
Bridenbaugh Amos of Fallston, Rachel A. Bridenbaugh Holmes of Fallston, and Beth A.
Harlan of Fallston; and many beloved extended family members.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William Martin Saterlie; her sister,
Elizabeth H. Breidenbaugh; and her nephew, George Bridenbaugh.

Whether in the classroom, her community, the Meeting, or around her family table, Mary
Ellen believed that education, kindness, integrity, and service could make the world
better. She lived those values every day, and her legacy will continue to inspire all who
were fortunate enough to know her.

A funeral service will be held at the Little Falls Friends Meeting House, 719 Old Fallston Road, Fallston, MD 21047 on Saturday, July 11 at 10 AM. Interment to follow at the Little Falls Friends Meeting House Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Mary's memory to the Friends School of Baltimore https://www.friendsbalt.org/