Mary Ann DePasse's Obituary
Mary Ann DePasse, age 79, of North Carolina, formerly of Pittsburgh and Clark's Summit, Pennsylvania, passed away on November 5th, 2024. Daughter of the late Harold Edward Evans and Jennie Sara Aveni Evans; wife of 51 years to the late George Fernan DePasse; mother of Gregory Evans DePasse (Deborah) and Renee Theresa DePasse; grandmother of Rebecca, Reese, Benjamin, Chase, Sophia and Brooks.
Mary Ann was a cherished daughter, wife, mother and grandmother. She had various positions of employment beginning as a sales clerk for Gimbels which helped curate her love of fashion, as a bookkeeper for Don Allen Chevrolet, as a realtor where she helped people find a place to call home, to her most significant role as a household CEO that allowed her children to enjoy a fantastic, loving and enriched childhood.
She was known by a variety of names throughout her lifetime from Mariuch to Jo. Between the plethora of names and murder mysteries she followed we truly hope she wasn't leading a secret life that will soon be exposed!
Her adventurous spirit led her to explore caves, national parks, historical sites, ski resorts, beaches, lakes and cities throughout the world. One could always count on another adventure that would soon follow.
Like her beloved musicals, she was known to spontaneously burst into song (although sometimes slightly off key and mondegreen) and dance anywhere whether it be in the kitchen or even in her dentist's waiting room.
She had a zest for life and participated in many organizations throughout her lifetime. Mary Ann was an active member of the Catholic Church where she taught children in Sunday school as well as sang in the choir. She was a member of the PTA, took polar bear plunges with the Hammond's Honeys, golfed with the Cyprus Landing women's golf club, participated in various fitness clubs, a member of the Scranton Cultural Center, wore pearls with the Cyprus Cyrens chapter of the Red Hats, and a DPAC season ticket holder. She was a master negotiator and convinced George to take up ballroom dancing, skiing, golfing and skydiving. We tease about the last one but had she thought of it she would have been able to persuade the family to go along.
She never found a piece of fabric that she didn't try to iron. She was always out of gas. She must have prepared an entire poultry farm's worth of chicken while raising her family, so much so, she could have written the cookbook '101 Different Ways to Cook Chicken'. She loved her coffee black, eating pasta and cherry pie ala mode. She enjoyed solving puzzles, playing Solitaire, reading and listening to the sound of rain.
Mary Ann had a great sense of humor that she honed after decades living with George's jokes. Her laugh was distinct and it often caused others to join in on her giggles. Even in her last hours before the final curtain closed she was telling jokes and laughing. She said that she loved her life and had no regrets. She was like no other and will be dearly missed by all who had the gift of knowing her.
Family and friends will be welcomed on Saturday, November 16th 2024, for a visitation from 10:30am-12:00pm. Immediately following, a chapel service will be held for all at 12:00pm. Both will be held at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home, Inc, 301 Curry Hollow Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary Ann's honor can be made to either Shriners Hospital for Children shrinershospitalsforchildren.org or to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation at cholangiocarcinoma.org. Condolences may be shared at www.jeffersonmemorial.biz.
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