Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Wednesday for Mary Theresa DeBlase, Sharpsville, Ave., Sharon, she passed away peacefully of natural causes Thursday evening (12-10-15] in Holy Family Hospice, Parma, OH. She was 93.

She was born in Sharon December 7, 1922 one of five children born to Frank and Josephine Mitchell DeBlase.A lifelong city resident, she graduated from both Sacred Heart School, and Sharon High School.

She would later earn her nursing certification from the Christian H. Buhl School of Nursing.

She gained employment with what was then Sharon General Hospital and became an instructor in their School of Nursing. After leaving  Sharon General, she became a private duty nurse and was recruited by Dr. Kenneth Sharretts of Greenville, she worked for him for more than 30 years.

She was a lifelong member of Sacred Heart Church where she enjoyed singing in their Choir.

She was honored as a "Woman of the Year" by Shenango Valley Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association.

When retired from Nursing, she enjoyed volunteering at the Salvation Army for a number of years.

She also volunteered at the Shenango Valley Community Library working on the annual book sale and she spent hours mending torn library books.

When she started to have trouble with her mobility, she made sure she trained new volunteers to properly repair damaged books and prepare new books to go out on the shelves.

Mary enjoyed traveling, reading, the movies and family.

She was very active as a volunteer with the renovation of the Columbia Theater and had many friends in the area.

Mary was a cheerleader for the City of Sharon and the Valley.

She would share with anyone who would listen the history of the downtown, especially how it involved her mother's family who came from Italy in the early 1900's and lived in the building at the corner of Sharpsville Avenue and Silver Street.

Her nieces and nephews had the good fortune to be able to go places with her including the theater and on trips.

She was always ready to share her insatiable love of learning with them which often meant receiving her beautifully-penned notes with a Sharon Herald newspaper clipping about a new idea or a "how-to" article.

Every Christmas, they anticipated the family gatherings at 81 Sharpsville Avenue that Mary and her sister Rosalie would organize with singing around the family piano, a big family dinner, storytelling and opening gifts.

That will be on their minds this holiday season as they celebrate her life. Our family is indebted to her for her devotion to collecting information and sharing stories about our history over the past 150 years.

She was deeply loved and esteemed by her family.

Surviving are two brothers, Joe DeBlase and his wife Judy, Boswell, Pa.; John DeBlase and his wife Dorothy, Piqua, Ohio; one sister, Rosalie DeBlase, Cleveland, Ohio; and sister-in-law Patricia DeBlase who was married to her late brother, Francis.

She was proud of her 4 nieces and 3 nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother Francis DeBlase, and her aunt, Mollie Mitchell.

Her family suggests that anyone wishing to make a memorial contribution in her memory to please consider one of the following; The Community Library of the Shenango Valley 11 North Sharpsville Ave. Sharon, PA 16146, or to the Salvation Army 660 Fisher Hill St, Sharon, PA 16146.

Calling hours :  4-6 P.M. Tuesday (12-15-15) in the J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory Inc. 1090 E. State St., Sharon.

Services: Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:00 A. M. Wednesday (12-16-15) in Sacred Heart Church, 40 S. Irvine Ave. Sharon, with Msgr. Salvatore P. Mitchell, Mary's cousin,  as celebrant.

Interment: St. Mary's Cemetery, Hermitage.