5/19/2026
Mary E. Shearer, 92, from Stevens, PA, passed on to her heavenly home on May 19, 2026 after a 4-month battle with ovarian cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family at home. She was born in Leola, PA, to Lloyd G. and Elizabeth K. [Groff] Huber, and she also raised her family in the Monterey/Leola area. She was predeceased by her husband, J. Earl “Jerry” Shearer, in 2016; by her sister, Ruth (William) Pellman; and by her granddaughter-in-law, Laura Genutis. She leaves behind a legacy of love to her children, Steven E. (Marise) Shearer and Randall E. (Sharon) Shearer as well as her grandchildren – Kyle (Laura Genutis) Shearer, Amberle (Kevin) Hughes, Nathan (Janelle) Shearer, and Khayla (Mike) Saville. She is lovingly remembered by her seven great-grandchildren – Parker, Connor, Kalli “Wren”, Emily, Everett, Isabella and Olivia, who brought her boundless pride and joy, and by her surviving sister, Lois married to Carl Wolgemuth.
Mary graduated with the class of 1951 from Upper Leacock High School and married J. Earl Shearer in 1955, with whom she shared the love of travel, singing, and playing games with family and friends. Jerry and Mary also served as deacon for the Ephrata Church of the Brethren. Mary possessed marvelous administrative talents that she used in banking employment for Brownstown National and Meridian Banks and Norlanco Credit Union. She was vital in maintaining the books for her husband’s successful Jewel-T business, and later in life did bookkeeping for local small businesses. After retirement, she used her bookwork skills to faithfully serve her church’s extension ministry of Mountaineers Table, which provides food to people in the Lancaster County area. The MT team grew close to Mary as she made both co-laborers and recipients smile with her positivity. Her caring spirit reached further to her community and around the world through her volunteer work with Cobys Family Services, her many charitable gifts to missions and family-oriented organizations, and many years of involvement at local voting stations as a poll attendant.
Mary lived a life defined by connection – to family, and to friends and neighbors. She expressed her kind nature by listening and remembering the individual details of each person she tended to – making each one feel special, cared for, truly heard and known. Her musical love and talents began early with piano lessons, then playing snare drum for her school band. Her piano skills enabled her to play for school and church and to teach piano to several students, including her granddaughter. She shared her love of the Lord and others by singing in a church trio and choirs for many years and was an involved member of the Gala Roses – an auxiliary for the Lancaster Red Rose (barbershop) Chorus – where her husband sang and performed for more than fifty years. Through Jerry’s family and then her sons’ involvement, Mary became a big fan of wrestling. She greatly enjoyed watching local, state and college [Penn State] wrestling and football, and of course, any sports or musical programs in which her children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren participated.
Family visitation time will be 5-8:00pm on Friday, July 10, 2026 at Ephrata Church of the Brethren, 201 Crescent Avenue, Ephrata, PA 17522. A memorial service to celebrate Mary’s life and love will be held at ECOB on Saturday, July 11 at 11:00am. Afterward (noon), a light luncheon will be provided by the church with time to share remembrances, laughter and tears. A private burial will be held in Bareville Cemetery. Those desiring to honor Mary’s memory can make a donation in her name to ECOB’s Deacon fund or to COBYS Family Services, 444 Murry Hill Circle, Lancaster, PA 17601.