Mary Ellen Huckabee

1962 - 2024

Mary Ellen Huckabee

September 24, 1962 - December 5, 2024

Atlanta, Georgia - Mary Ellen Huckabee, of Atlanta, GA, passed away on December 5, 2024, from an aggressive form of recurrent breast cancer. She became a breast cancer survivor in 2010 and learned in August of this year that her cancer had returned.

Mary Ellen was born in Greensboro, NC, on September 24, 1962, to Doris Glenn Huckabee and Robert Calloway Huckabee. She grew up in Charlotte, NC, and graduated from Myers Park High School in 1980. She attended Agnes Scott College, where she earned a BA with highest honors in Mathematics in 1984. After completing two years at the Emory University School of Medicine, Mary Ellen decided to switch career paths. She worked for two years as a drug representative for Smith, Kline & French in Charlotte, NC, before attending the University of North Carolina School of Law. During her third year of law school, she began dating her classmate Stephen Edwin Lewis, and after graduating in 1991, they moved to Atlanta. Mary Ellen began her legal career as an environmental lawyer at King & Spalding. Several years later, she changed her practice area to corporate law and in 1999 left the firm to join the legal department at Interface Corporation.

Mary Ellen and Steve married in 1998 and welcomed their daughter Caroline in 2000. Just before their daughter Charlotte was born in 2002, Mary Ellen decided to stay home as a full-time mom. She poured endless time and energy into raising her girls. She fostered a love of reading through frequent trips to the public library, helped them with their schoolwork, spent hours baking and doing art projects with them, and was a dedicated volunteer at their schools and extracurricular activities.

After becoming an empty nester, Mary Ellen went back to school and graduated from Georgia State University in 2023 with an MS in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling. As part of her program, she worked as a counseling intern for The Life Change Group in Peachtree City. Before her recent cancer diagnosis, she planned to work as a counselor in Atlanta.

Mary Ellen was a brilliant lawyer with a keen intellect and an incredible work ethic. She was a voracious reader of fiction, a terrific handywoman who could fix almost anything, and a longtime vegetarian who loved international cuisines. She had a quick wit, enjoyed jogging with friends, and gave the best presents for every occasion. She was the consummate volunteer and an experienced international traveler who looked forward to exploring new places in search of unusual art and local Christmas ornaments. She loved dogs of all types and children of all ages, and they were always drawn to her.

Mary Ellen was confident, friendly, kind, caring, selfless, and humble. These qualities helped her meet people and make friends everywhere she went. They also made her a wonderful mother, spouse, and sister. She was loved and respected by all who knew her, and her death leaves a hole in their lives and in the greater world.

In addition to her husband Steve and her daughters Caroline and Charlotte, Mary Ellen is survived by her sister Margaret Huckabee (Bill Pritchard) of Charlotte, NC; her sister-in-law Rochelle Huckabee of Cumming, GA; and her nieces and nephews Ellen and Elizabeth Pritchard, Adam Huckabee, and Dominic Burg. She is also survived by her father-in-law Ed Lewis of Salisbury, NC; her sister-in-law Melanie Burton (Scott) of Salisbury, NC; her brother-in-law Mark Lewis (Julie) of Wilmington, NC; and her nieces and nephews Meredith, Kate, Roarke, and Sawyer Burton and Lola Lewis. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Arthur Huckabee, her mother-in-law Martha Lewis, and her infant niece McLean Lewis.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Mary Ellen at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church (1660 North Decatur Road, Atlanta, GA 30307), with an opportunity to visit with her family after the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her memory to the Mary Ellen Huckabee Memorial Law Scholarship Fund at the UNC School of Law (www.law.unc.edu), to the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at Georgia State University (www.education.gsu.edu/cps), or to the Atlanta Community Food Bank (www.acfb.org).