Mary Alice Shade

Mary Alice (Purdy) Shade, 79, of Smithville was welcomed home and is fully healed with her Lord & Savior and many loved ones gone before her on Monday, June 23, 2025. She was surrounded by her loving family and the caring, loving staff of the Apostolic Christian Home in Rittman as she passed from her Earthly home to Heaven.
Mary Alice was born on "Flag Day", June 14, 1946, in Wooster, Ohio to the late William and Dorothy (Barnhart) Purdy. Mary Alice was raised to understand the importance of Faith, Family, and hard work growing up in the family restaurant Purdy's Eat. In 1964, Mary Alice graduated from Northwestern High School. Mary Alice was blessed with two close friendships in her school days that she kept her entire life. After a semester at The Ohio State University, Mary Alice returned to Wayne County and worked at Wooster Clinic, while still helping at her parents' restaurant. It was during this time she met a truck driver who frequented the restaurant. On September 3, 1966, she married that truck driver, Gary Shade, at Central Christian Church in Wooster, Ohio. Their next Wedding Anniversary would have been celebrating 59 years. They raised 2 children and started Shade Trucking, Inc. from the home they shared in Smithville for almost 59 years. Mary Alice would do the bookkeeping and answer the phone, all while raising children, often baby-sitting others' children, along with her housework. She served on Smithville Town Council and was even The Mayor of Smithville briefly in 1995.
Mary Alice was a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church where she faithfully taught Sunday School, Daily Vacation Bible School, sang in the choir, along with many other opportunities to serve others. Over the years she quietly found ways to bless, serve, gift, or encourage others often anonymously. She was a prayer warrior for many who had no idea she was praying for them. She did not like to fly in an airplane and didn't care about traveling the world, yet she would take a road trip anywhere to be with one of her beloved siblings, children, and grandchildren. Her Family was everything to her.
Surviving are her husband, Gary Shade; Son Terry Shade; Daughter Dorene (Rob) Clark; Grandchildren Sam, Caleb, and Gabe Shade, Matt and Karissa Clark; and one great-granddaughter; Sisters Wanda Hockenberry, Becky (Dan) Shilling; Brothers-in-law Dick & Bob Shade, Sister-in-law Ruth (Glenn) Rodden; Nieces and Nephews Rob (Julie) Purdy, Steve (Mary) Purdy, Dave (Lorie) Purdy, Jon (Janet) Purdy, Randy (Cindy) Hockenberry, Ron (Cynthia) Hockenberry, Renee (Aaron) McConahay, Dan (Denise) Shilling, Matt (Renee) Shilling, and Jennifer (Doug) Henderhan; numerous great-nieces and nephews, cousins, close friends and church friends that are like family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Robert and his wife Linda Purdy, sister, Patricia Purdy, brother-in-law Donald Hockenberry, infant nephew Rodney Hockenberry, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law Raymond and Carol Jean Shade, niece by marriage Jodi Shilling, numerous beloved Aunts & Uncles, Cousins, and Friends including Pat Huffman, Linda & Stan Ramsier, and Dave Maurer.
The Family Wishes to Thank the wonderful nurses and staff of the Apostolic Christian Home in Rittman and the nurses and care team of Ohio's Hospice LifeCare for their loving care of Mary Alice.
A well-loved and marked passage of scripture that Mary Alice truly lived is Psalms 28:7 – "The Lord is My Strength and my shield, my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. Therefore, my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song I will praise Him." She was a fighter, a survivor, and found her strength in God throughout her life no matter, she was loving, humble, kind, never complaining or asking why me.
Services will be Saturday, June 28th at 11:00 a.m. at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church 7605 Pleasant Home Rd., Sterling with Pastors Stephen Olsen and Jeff Dilyard officiating. Friends may call Friday, June 27th from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the church and one hour prior to services on Saturday. Burial will be in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, PO Box 426, Smithville, OH 44677 or to Ohio's Hospice LifeCare, 1900 Akron Rd., Wooster, OH 44691. Murray Funeral Home in Creston is handling arrangements
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