Mary Elizabeth Hoagland

Mary Elizabeth Shelby Hoagland died Friday April 29,2022 at Bell Trace Health & Living, Bloomington, IN after a brief but challenging battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Mary was born on New Year’s Day in 1940, the youngest of six children of Frank and Helen (VanDorn) Shelby. She graduated as the salutatorian from Covington High School in 1958, and from Purdue University in 1962 with a degree in nutrition.

Mary was known for her sweet personality, good humor, and genuine selflessness.  She greeted everyone with a smile and was welcoming to all who knew her.  She inherited her mother’s quick wit to make a point while remaining kind.  She passed on her empathy, love of history, and passion for cooking to her children.

Family was the most important part of Mary’s life. She spent much of her life on the farm which had been in her family for almost 200 years, so her roots and commitment to ancestry run deep.  Mary loved to educate her younger relatives on their genealogy and memories of her childhood.  She always looked forward to the large Shelby gatherings and was devoted to maintaining connections with new extended family members.  She was famous for her strawberry jam, chocolate sheet cake, chili sauce, and being schedule challenged.

Mary was employed by Purdue University for over 25 years in different areas of food service in the residence halls. One of the favorite parts of the job for her was interacting with the students. She often would bring a foreign or out-of-state student to holiday celebrations so that they would not be alone in the residence halls. Mary never met a stranger, and she used this skill to greet thousands of students in Purdue’s cafeterias during her semi-retirement.

Mary is survived by her three children, Matthew (Jodi) Hoagland of Bloomington, IN, Mark (Anne) Hoagland of

Fort Worth, TX, and Rebecca (Richard) Blackburn of McDonough, GA, along with her brothers Robert Shelby of Covington, IN, and Donald (Martha) Shelby of West Lafayette, IN, and sisters Virginia Bennett of Richardson, TX, and Emma (Richard) Davis of Melbourne, FL. She was also blessed with nine grandchildren and numerous caring nieces and nephews.  Her parents and a brother Richard Shelby preceded her in death.

The family would like to express gratitude to Dr. Mark Dayton and his staff, IU Health Hospice, to the caring staff at Bell Trace Health & Living who ensured that Mary’s final days were comfortable and peaceful, and to Allen Funeral Home of Bloomington.

Per her wishes, Mary will be cremated, and her ashes interred at a later date.  She will be interred in the Bend Cemetery in her hometown of Covington, Indiana.  The interment will be conducted by the Shelby Funeral Home of Covington.  Condolences to the family: www.shelbyfuneralhome.com

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org , or Helen V. Shelby Scholarship Fund at Covington Community Foundation, P O Box 175, Covington, IN 47932.

The Lord must have wanted to upgrade his strawberry jam, so he took her before this season’s berries were ready to harvest.

Graveside services Saturday July 2, 2022 at Bend Cemetery, north of Covington, IN with Pastor Thomas Dewlen officiating.