Born May 31, 1872, in Union County, Ky., Mary Ellen was the daughter of William Thomas and Ann Pulcharia Wathen Pike Melbourne. The Wathen family was one of that county’s oldest Catholic families. Mary Ellen was a first cousin to Mother Aloysius Willett and Sister Mercedes Wathen. Mary Ellen attended Mount Saint Joseph Academy during the years 1888-1893. At the end of the school year 1892-1893, she traveled to Louisville to enter the novitiate at Immaculate Conception Convent. Mary Ellen received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Etheldreda on June 9, 1893. She was the third student from Mount Saint Joseph Academy to enter the Ursuline Order in Louisville.
After the completion of her novitiate, Sister Etheldreda was assigned to Mount Saint Joseph Academy to join the faculty there. She arrived on August 13, 1895, and presided over the art department teaching potential artists both in the studio and in the classroom. Sister Etheldreda introduced china painting about 1905, using a kerosene kiln. Besides the Academy students, Sister also instructed the Sisters who were interested in art. Sister Etheldreda’s oil paintings are among the art works displayed at Mount Saint Joseph. Of particular significance are her paintings of Saint Ursula, Saint Angela, and the Puritan Maid. In addition to her work with the art department, Sister Etheldreda served as chapel sacristan for more than 20 years. Her artistic touch lent itself to the adornment of the altar through flower and candle arrangements.
Always frail of body, Sister Etheldreda became entirely disabled by a paralyzing stroke in July 1923. In the latter part of November, Sister Etheldreda was taken to Kneipp Sanitarium in Rome City, Ind., but the treatments were unsuccessful. Her condition continued to worsen. She died there on December 28, 1923. Father James L. Whelan, chaplain, celebrated the funeral Mass on December 31 at Mount Saint Joseph. Sister Etheldreda’s remains rest in the convent cemetery.