Rest in Peace, Aunt Mary Ellen

Many of you have read my book, Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather. In it, I talk about how I got interested in weather and how that interest, plus growing up in an entrepreneurial family, led to me starting WeatherData, Incorporated, the revolutionary company in the field of storm warnings.

I wrote at some length about my Uncle Everett Mealman, an amazing entrepreneur and businessman, and how much he, my father and my Grandfather Smith contributed to my love of business. Saturday, Everett's wife, my Aunt Mary Ellen, passed away at the age of 90. You will find her obituary here. Mary Ellen and Everett were married for 67 years.

"Aunt Muna," as we all called her, was very much involved in our lives. I used to spend several days each summer staying with her and Everett in their Kansas home. I loved those visits. Muna was passionate about being a teacher. She would make sure that I was learning my English (especially important to her) well. Mary Ellen touched countless students in the Shawnee Mission School District. She was small, but mighty, and I laughed out loud when I read (in her obituary) that her students remembered her as a "disciplinarian."

So, rest well Aunt Muna. You lived a great life and we will see you in Heaven one day.