Mary Ellen Herrin Tamari passed away at her home in the Quaker retirement community Friends House in Sandy Spring, MD on April 9, 2014. She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on March 17, 1924. As a result of the Great Depression her family became tenant farmers and she spent long days picking cotton. She was an avid reader and a diligent student. She earned degrees from Bethany College, the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Anthropology from Union Graduate School.

Before Little Rock became a flash point for the civil rights movement, Mary Ellen worked as a nurse’s aide.  The neglect of Black children on white hospital wards moved her to challenge racism, which she could not reconcile with her Christian beliefs. Thus began a life-long commitment to social justice, respect for individual liberty, and a never-ending search for truth.

Her spiritual journey took her to Pendle Hill, a Quaker community near Philadelphia where she met her husband Elias Tamari and became a Quaker. She and Elias spent 40 of their 59 years together between Algeria, Bangladesh, the Ivory Coast and their home of homes, Haiti, where they lived for 30 years. Her dissertation was based on living and working in the village of Grande Savanne. Titled “La Vie, Mon Dieu! A Study of World View and Values in a Rural Haitian Community,” she used the words of the villagers to document the vitality of the Haitian spirit, especially of its rural women.

She was Elias’ partner in crafting reports for the non-governmental organizations they worked for and she directed projects to help women develop sustainable businesses. She criticized assumptions of US government and other donor agencies and her candor often put her at odds with officials. But no one doubted her sincerity and commitment to deeply held values and to the welfare of victims of poverty and injustice.

Above all, Mary Ellen believed in the sanctity of all life (she was a vegetarian for that reason) and the dignity of all people.

She was a devoted mother who, despite her other accomplishments, insisted that her greatest achievements were her children. She took great joy in contributing to the lives of her grandchildren, a source of tremendous pride. Mary Ellen leaves behind children Steve and Marisa; sister Patricia Sprague and brother Gene Herrin; grandchildren Amal, Jad, Anna, Elena, and Brendan; her canine companion Georgia Brown; and many nieces, nephews and other relations.

Donations in her name can be made to: Christian Operation for Health, Education, and Development (COFHED; http://www.cofhed.org/) which focuses on nurturing Haitian communities. Checks can be sent to COFHED, P. O. Box 4094, St. Paul, MN 55104 or The Humane Society of Morgan County (http://www.hsmc-wv.org/ ) at Post Office Box 705 Berkeley Springs, WV 25411.