Obituaries

Mary E. Musselman

October 28th, 1932 – August 29th, 2014

Mary E. Musselman, age 81, of Sebring, FL, formerly of Vermont, IL, passed away Friday, August 29, 2014. She was born October 28, 1932 to Bernard and Leona (Aten) Horwedel of Vermont. She is survived by her husband, William R. "Bill" Musselman of Sebring, FL, her twin brother Merle (and Ruth Ann) Horwedel of Buda, IL, and her older brother, Harold (and Mary) Horwedel of Vermont, IL. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews who describe her as so close and special to them that she was more of a mother than aunt.
Mary grew up on a farm in Illinois. In her younger years, she described herself as a "tomboy" and was always nursing and caring for animals and birds. Her lifelong love of animals started early with lots of pets including raccoons, rabbits, kittens, squirrels, birds, pigs, calves, chickens, dogs, and horses. She could control pets, animals and livestock often when her two brothers and her dad could not.
She attended elementary school in a one room school (Mud Acre) and then graduated from VIT High School in Vermont where she was very active in music, band, drama, speech contests and cheerleading. She took dancing and acrobatic lessons from an early age and started a dance school during her high school days and continued this for many years. She graduated college from Western Illinois University where she was a cheerleader all four years and Homecoming Queen her senior year. After graduating with honors with a major in Physical Education, she taught at Toulon High School and MacMurray College in Jacksonville, IL.
After her marriage to William "Bill" Musselman of Toulon, IL on June 16, 1957, they moved to Sebring in 1963. She continued her education by obtaining a Masters Degree and continued her teaching career, first in Lake Placid High School and then in Sebring Middle School and South Florida Community College until her retirement.
Whether you knew her as Aunt Mary or Mary Edith, Miss Mary, Mrs. Musselman or Sis, she lived a very full life pursuing her passions for her family, her students, her love of dance and physical fitness, photography, good jokes, and of course her love of animals. Throughout the course of her life she influenced hundreds of lives. This was evident in the many messages and letters she received from former students, co-workers, friends and family. She even paid a student 25 cents a day to come to school to make sure that student received an education. Mary, along with her husband Bill, helped many students in obtaining an education.
Mary's final resting place will be in the Vermont Cemetery, Vermont, IL with graveside services being held on Saturday, September 6th at 11:00 a.m. Pastor Dave Vandeman will officiate and their will be a Celebration of Life service held immediately following the graveside at the Vermont Christian Church's Family Life Center. Memorials may be made to the Humane Society, Box 833, Sebring, FL 33871 or Wrede's Wildlife Center, 4820 Wilderness Trail, Sebring, FL 33875.
There will be a memorial service in Sebring, FL at Dowden Funeral Home Chapel at a later date.

Condolences

September 2nd, 2014

Dear family of Mary Edith - that is the name I knew her as. I am a younger first cousin of her husband, Bill, and was a young girl when they got married. How I loved it when I could go spend the day with her. One thing I remember learning from her is always stick a potato before you bake it - one exploded in her oven! We last visited them a couple of winters ago in their Sebring home. It is hard to believe that she is now gone. We extend our sympathy to the Horwedel and Musselman families, and regret that we will not be able to come to the graveside service. With our love and sympathy, Marvin and Jane Leman

September 4th, 2014

So sorry to hear of Mary Edith's passing. Had a great time at VIT. Our sympathy to the family. Robert and Helen
Clanin,Winter Haven, Fl.