Mary Ellen Giant

Hard working and very particular about her work are just a couple of ways to describe Mary Ellen Giant. You always knew where you stood with Mary especially when it came to getting a job done. She wasn't a bit bashful to tell you when work did not live up to her standards, therefore everything had to be just so. A few events in history that occurred in 1920 include the beginning of the era known as the "Roaring Twenties", women gained the right to vote, the introduction of the "talking box" better known as a radio, and on July 6, 1920 Edmond L. and Etta Victoria (Keel) Juillerat welcomed the birth of Mary Ellen Juillerat, the tenth of eleven children, into the family in Washington Township. As a child in the Depression of the 1930's worked hard to have what they did. On one occasion, Mary and her sister Bertha were given money from their father to buy a bunch of bananas for the family and return with the change. Well, buy bananas they did, using all of the money to buy a whole stalk of 75-100 of them!

Mary worked for Blue Bell Jean Factory in Columbia City, International Harvester and Roger's Grocery in Fort Wayne. She also worked in produce at Hilger's Market for many years and enjoyed gardening and farming her vegetables.

Mary attended Washington Township Schools before moving to Fort Wayne in 1941. She was introduced to her future husband Robert Giant by a young man married to the daughter of her oldest sister Loraine. On September 16, 1939 Mary married Robert Ivory Giant in Huntington, IN. She briefly lived in Whitley County for four years before settling on a farm in Allen County in 1949, where she resided until 1983. Mary then moved to the Copper Hill subdivision.

Mary enjoyed trips to Canada for fishing, taking winter vacations to Florida, and traveling to New Mexico and Texas. In her free time, she played her favorite card came of Bid Euchre and made Christmas centerpieces for the Arcola Lions Club.

She will always be held close in the hearts of those who loved and knew her well.

Mary Ellen Giant, age 98, of Fort Wayne, IN passed away at 6:48 pm on Friday July 13, 2018 at Coventry Meadows Healthcare, Fort Wayne.
Survivors include her brother-in-law Bud Giant of Fort Wayne and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert Giant, sisters Lorene Richards, Berniece Alexander, and Bertha Thorn, and brothers Harry, Ernest, Donald, Gilbert, Dale, Orville, and Ralph Juillerat.

Funeral services for Mary will be held at 1:00 pm on Tuesday July 17, 2018 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City, with calling two hours prior to service.
Burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park, 6600 Covington Road, Fort Wayne. Memorial contributions in memory of Mary may be made to the donor's choice.
Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send the family an online condolence.