Mary Ellen Coldsmith

Mary Ellen Coldsmith, of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, passed away on March 7, 2026, at the age of 74. Born on July 13, 1951, in Oswego, New York, she was the daughter of the late Clarence Henry Gilbert and Mary Margaret Menter Gilbert. She moved to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on her 12th birthday and spent much of her life there, creating lasting memories and touching the lives of those around her.

Mary Ellen graduated from Chambersburg High School in 1969. She dedicated 25 years to J. Schoeneman Co., later earned an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration, and worked in Franklin County’s Juvenile and Adult Probation and Clerk of Courts offices. Her true calling came at Keystone Human Services, where she cared for intellectually disabled adults with the same love and compassion she showed her own family.

She married James Yates in 1971, with whom she had two daughters, Tracy and Katrina. She later married Ronald Hughes in 1988 and became mother to Brittney. In 2000, she found a loving partner in Larry Coldsmith, sharing a warm companionship with him until his passing in 2021. Mary Ellen had a gift for bringing people together. She loved hosting gatherings, cooking for her family and friends—especially her famous deviled eggs and Rice Krispie treats—and returning to Oswego, where she visited family, admired the lighthouse at the Loop, ate fish, and skipped rocks on Lake Ontario.

She is survived by her children, Tracy (Clinton) Montoro, Katrina (Jamel) Dumas, and Brittney Hughes; her cherished grandchildren, Rebecca Montoro, Anthony Cerniglia, Katherine Montoro, Tayana Diggs, Dushawn Hughes, Tez Littleford, and Star-Asia Gilliam; and her siblings, Michael Gilbert, Jeanne Besecker, Theresa Trace, Timothy Gilbert, Christine Dubbs, Ronald Gilbert, and Susan Berkebile. She will be remembered as a loving sister, mother, grandmother, and friend whose kindness, generosity, and warmth touched everyone who knew her.