Mary Ida "Idie" Shearhart

Mary Ida Bass Barber Shearhart, 92, of Kissimmee, Florida passed away on February 1, 2017.
A fifth generation Floridian, Mrs. Shearhart was born the daughter of Clint and Coralie Bass in their family home on Boggy Creek in Kissimmee, Florida.
After graduating from Osceola High School (1943) she was active in the Civil Service during WWII, later employed by Dyer Airforce Base, then Tupperware and Broadway Pharmacy.
Mary Ida, "Idie", was a Charter member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, and early member of The Silver Spurs, rode in the quadrille and helped drive cattle in Osceola County's early years with her father, Clint Bass.
She received her RN degree in Ft. Worth, Texas, at the age of 43, graduating at the top of her class, then practiced nursing in both Texas and North Carolina. Returning to Florida, she became a member of the Florida Historical Society and received numerous Florida Pioneer certificates. Her favorite validated that her grandfather was born in Duvall County prior to it becoming a county. As an author she received The Patrick D. Smith Award for her book "Florida's Frontier, The Way Hit Wuz".
Mary Ida loved Pavarati, dancing the waltz, and jitterbug. Robert Duvall westerns, traditional gospel music, and most of all, her beloved family.
She returned to Texas in 2016 to be closer to loved ones.
Mrs. Shearhart was preceeded in death by her parents, her brother Walter Van and twin brother, Ned Hugh "Buddy". She is survived by her sister, Kay Bass Johnson of Debary, FL; children, Clint Barber, Nancy Barber, Virginia McLamb and Top Barber, of Stephenville, TX; 12 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren, who lovingly called her "Nini".
A visitation will be held Monday, February 6th from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at Conrad & Thompson Funeral Home in Kissimmee, FL.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor are appreciated at The Vine Church, P.O. Box 421568, Kissimmee, Florida 34742 and/or The Cowboy Church of Erath County, P.O. Box 371, Stephenville, Texas 76401, or another charity of your choice.
The Shearhart family is being cared for by Conrad & Thompson Funeral Home, 511 Emmett Street, Kissimmee, FL 34741, (407) 847-3188.