Traffic accident ends 61-year career of Mary Jane Mullen at Lenape High School
MEDFORD - When a beloved employee at Lenape High School was hurt in a May 3 traffic accident, the school community responded with an outpouring of support.
An online campaign raised tens of thousands of dollars, with many donations accompanied by wishes of a fast recovery for Mary Jane Mullen, a Lenape secretary for the past 61 years.
But the campaign’s tenor changed abruptly when Mullen, 79, died from her injuries Sunday.
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“The Lenape family suffered a profound loss today,” Tony Cattani, the school’s principal said in an update to the GoFundMe account after Mullen’s death.
“Mary Jane was the embodiment of all that is good in our world,” Cattani wrote.
Mary Jane Mullen spent her career at Lenape
“She felt a genuine love for all things Lenape, including students, staff, and alumni,” he said. “She was always ready with a hug, a kiss, and some candy for anyone who needed it.”
Mullen, a sophomore when Lenape opened in 1958, went to work for the school’s administration one month after graduating from Lenape in June 1961.
"Her hiring forever changed Lenape High School," a statement from Lenape Regional School District said Tuesday.
Mullen sent thousands of personal notes
It described Mullen, who had led a student club for future secretaries, as "the heart of Lenape High School."
"She approached each day with genuine love, kindness and caring," the statement said.
Over the decades, the Medford resident sent "thousands upon thousands of personalized notes" to students, staffers and Lenape family members, said Carol Birnbohm, the district's superintendent.
She said the notes delivered messages of encouragement, gratitude and love from Mullen, who also bought Christmas ornaments and other gifts for students and staff.
One note, written last month, described Lenape as Mullen's "happy place."
"I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. This is my home," it said.
Cattani said graduates who return to the school for reunion activities typically inquire about Mullen.
"Without fail, the first thing they ask is, ‘Is Mary Jane still here?’”
A display of photos in Lenape's 1980 yearbook, Legend, shows Mullen surrounded by smiling students. A sketch depicts a harried secretary typing between wire baskets piled high with papers.
The headlines read “MJ Club” and “Mary Jane, Mary Jane, She’s Our Girl.”
Text with the photos describes Mullen as “bubbling with effervescence” and notes she “attracts all sorts to her office.”
GoFundMe appeal started on day of accident
A Lenape graduate launched the GoFundMe campaign on the day of Mullen's accident. It sought to help with Mullen’s medical costs and to support a scholarship fund in her honor.
According to Medford police, Mullen's car collided with another vehicle at Route 70 and North Main Street.
She was taken to the trauma center at Cooper University Hospital, Camden. The other driver had no reported injuries from the accident, which remains under investigation.
Mullen initially was in good spirits but still had “a long road ahead,” said the appeal, which had raised almost $50,000 by Wednesday evening.
The expressions of hope and affection turned somber on Sunday.
"Mary Jane was a Saint to all who entered her Office Domain," wrote one donor, Daniel Archibald. "She will be missed but hopefully her legacy survives."
“MaryJane is (an) angel now and always has been,” said another donor, Susan Burns.
Cattani noted members of Burlington County’s school crisis response team and other school counselors were made available to students and staffers.
“I ask all of our members of the Lenape Family to look after one another as we deal with the loss of our friend and someone who truly exemplified Lenape High School,” the principal wrote.
He said the school "will plan a special way to memorialize Mary Jane in the near future."
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter at the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email him at jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Fund-raiser sought to help Mary Jane Mullen, 61-year Lenape staffer
