Mary Ruth (Keller) Hegemier Ellinger, 86, of Newark, Ohio, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on January 6, 2026, at the Inn at SharonBrooke. She was born on March 11, 1939, in Wadsworth, Ohio to Robert Ellsworth Keller and Helen Elizabeth (Poetter) Keller. She attended Conrad Elementary School, Lincoln Junior High School and Newark High School, then on to Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in teaching.

After college, Mary lived in Parma, Caldwell, and Newark, Ohio. She pursued teaching while raising three children, and still found time for crafts including ceramics, stained glass, tole painting, and photography. She also enjoyed investigating her family tree, even taking a trip to Salt Lake City for in-person family research.

In addition to several family vacations in the U.S. and Canada, Mary traveled to West and East Germany, as well as her ancestral home in Bern, Switzerland. Later in life, she enjoyed spending every September in Gananoque, Ontario, Canada with her husband Tom.

Mary is preceded in death by husband Tom Ellinger, parents Robert Keller and Helen (Poetter) Keller, as well as brother John Keller and sister Donna (Keller) Brown Long Barrie.

She is survived by first husband Roger Hegemier, sister-in-law Linda (Zimmers) Keller, sister Jane (Richard) Hartnett, brother Mark Keller, and brother-in-law Jim Barrie. She is also survived by son Steven (Annette) Hegemier, grandson Henri Hegemier, son Timothy (Lita) Hegemier, daughter Jennifer (Chris) Fisher, many nieces and nephews, as well as stepchildren Courtney Ellinger, Christy Ellinger, Scott Ellinger and his daughter Aubrey.

Visitation will be held Friday, January 9th, 2026, from 12-2 pm at Brucker & Kishler Funeral Home at 985 North 21st Street, Newark, Ohio, where a memorial service will follow at 2:00 pm.