Mary Ellen Adams

Mary Ellen Adams (Herkamp), 81, of Newton, MA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday February 17, 2026, with family by her side. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Norman Grinstead Adams, her son Norman Herkamp Adams with wife Elena Yurievna Adams (Sergeeva), and son Daniel Sewall Adams with wife Marie Law Adams; her grandchildren, Norman A., Jack, Theodore, Marine, and Rainer Adams; her siblings Nathan Herkamp (Leslie) and Joseph Herkamp (Katherine), many beloved nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews. Mary Ellen was born on February 8, 1945 in Columbus Indiana to Oscar and Mabel Herkamp (Otte).

Mary Ellen grew up with three brothers and extended family, all on nearby farms, around Columbus Indiana. They worked together to grow corn and soybeans and raise cows, chickens, and pigs. They maintained tractors to tend fields and drag the kids around on sleds in the winter. She attended Saint Peter’s Lutheran School and Columbus High School, where she graduated in 1963. She studied early youth education and managed the theatre costume shop at Valparaiso University, where she graduated in 1967. Here, her talents in theatre arts were discovered by a visiting professor of performing arts from Emerson College in Boston. Soon after, brother Nate drove her east to undertake graduate studies in the theatre arts and manage the costume shop at Emerson. For 45 years, between 1969 and 2015, she was a professor of Performing Arts at Emerson. Throughout, Mary Ellen designed costumes for television, such as the 1970’s PBS show Zoom, and theatre productions, such as George M!, the opening production of the revitalized Majestic Theatre at Emerson in Boston. She was recognized as emeritus in 2015. Throughout her career, many of the thousands of students she taught and mentored in puppetry, costume design, and make-up artistry, commonly referred to her as ‘mom’.

In 1971, Mary Ellen married Norman G., an architect. They spent decades travelling, raising a family, and undertaking projects, always lovingly together. In particular, restoring an 1888 Victorian house in Newton, where they have lived since. Mary Ellen filled the house with sewing machines, fabric, puppets, intricate Halloween costumes, and remnants of costumes for school plays, made while raising two sons, Norman H. and Danny. School projects became family projects of dramatic effect: full-scale paintings of elephants, dioramas of scale bridges made of clay and cardboard, papier-mâché, and plaster masks. Holiday meals had four-foot castles and trains made of ginger-bread, and cakes shaped like animals. Mary Ellen was boundlessly supportive and proud of the accomplishments of her husband and sons Norman H., now a supervisor of electronic systems engineering, and Danny, now an architect and professor, like his mom. Throughout, Mary Ellen was a committed member and Sunday School teacher at First Lutheran Church of Waltham. Today, the basement of the church is filled with boxes of pageant costumes: shepherd’s robes, crooks, and angel wings for children to pretend and perform.

Mary Ellen’s dedication to inspiring creativity reached thousands of students and children. Her commitment to working with communities had immediate and lasting value. Her deep devotion to family and friends makes her forever part of our hearts and dearly missed.

A public wake will be held at 4-7 p.m. on February 27 at Joyce Funeral Home in Waltham. A public funeral will be held at 11:00 a.m. on February 28 at First Lutheran Church of Waltham. Contributions may be made to the First Lutheran Church of Waltham.