Dr. Mary Ellen Anderson passes at 103

Mrs. Mary Ellen Anderson died November 23, 2025, at Barnes Hospital following a stroke. She was 103.

Born on January 28, 1922, in St. Louis, Missouri, Mary Ellen Johnson grew up in the historic Ville neighborhood, where she witnessed the construction of the great Homer G. Phillips Hospital. She displayed an early talent for memorizing poetry, from Longfellow to Paul Laurence Dunbar, and developed a lifelong love of the violin. She graduated from Sumner High School at age 16 and graduated from Harris-Stowe State University at age 20.  She became a teacher before marrying John Anderson, who, with her invaluable support, became Dr. John M. Anderson, a psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine.

While her husband attended medical school at Meharry Medical College, Mrs. Anderson taught violin in the public school system of Nashville, Tennessee, to support the family. They were blessed with three sons, John, Dale, and Bruce. After returning to St. Louis, Mrs. Anderson taught elementary school briefly and later taught instrumental music at various public schools in the city for approximately twenty years. She then earned a master’s degree in Speech and Theatre Arts from St. Louis University. Her performance in local dinner theatre productions included a supporting role in “God’s Favorite” alongside Stubby Kaye, and another production starring Lyle Talbott. 

She worked for Project Stay, helping students complete high school and taught theatre at Cleveland High School where she oversaw various stage productions. She retired and earned a doctorate in Education from St. Louis University with a dissertation on the history of Young Audiences, a national organization which educates youth and communities through exposure to the arts.

Mrs. Anderson marched against racial segregation in the 60’s. She was a member of The Links Inc. and The Girlfriends Inc. and made many enduring friendships while promoting the missions of those organizations, which include providing scholarship opportunities for young people. A devoted member of Trinity Episcopal Church for 64 years, she sang in the choir and volunteered to do prayer and healing, with the laying on of hands for those in need.  

Following retirement, Mrs. Anderson became a member of the Episcopal Diocese Commission on Dismantling Racism and participated as a group leader for many years, training people to recognize and overcome racial bias. A personal friend of several of the Tuskegee Airmen of St. Louis, she supported their organization through the years. 

She championed the performing arts as a patron of The St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, establishing a fund in honor of her late son, pianist Bruce Anderson, Ph.D.  Mrs. Anderson also performed in the violin section of the University City Symphony Orchestra until she was 97, stopping only when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a temporary shutdown of the orchestra. Her love of music, theatre, family, justice, and faith sustained her to her final days. 

Mary Ellen Anderson is survived by two sons, John M. Anderson III J.D., and Dale J. Anderson M.D. and their wives, Karen Fulbright Anderson Ph.D., and Susie Anderson, M.A.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 600 N. Euclid Ave., with a viewing from 10am to 11am.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in honor of Mary Ellen Anderson to The University City Orchestra at ucso.org/donate, The St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre at blackrep.org, or The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at slso.org/support-us