Mary Ethridge Obituary

 

From: Michele Schmidt iamshellyschmidt@gmail.com Mary Ethridge Obituary A memorial service will be held for Mary Ethridge on Saturday, November 5th at 11AM at Mount Zion Restoration Branch, 15008 E 35 St S, Independence MO.

Mary E. Ethridge, 76, of Independence, Missouri, passed away on October 18, 2022, at 1:11pm. She was born May 10, 1946, to Glenn and Alice Schmidt in Independence, Missouri and married James M. Ethridge on August 30, 1965. She was preceded in death by her husband and both of her parents. Survivors include her children, James Ethridge, Dawn Ethridge, David Ethridge, and grandson Derek Ethridge all of Independence; granddaughter Jessica Fiorini of Renton, WA; brothers, Paul (Liz) Schmidt of Redding, CA, and Albert (Shelly) Schmidt of Independence, MO; and many nephews and nieces. Mary was a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, San Francisco Bay Stake and attended a restoration congregation in the Pacific Northwest before gathering to Independence and making Mount Zion Restoration Branch her church home. Mary was an amazing mom, so loving and loved! At the hospital she was surrounded by her children and close family and wished she could have spoken to all the other nieces, nephews, granddaughter, and close church family before she passed. She knew that she was loved and expressed many times to let everyone know that she LOVED them so much! She was strong in her faith and was at peace knowing she was going home to her Heavenly Father! Through it all she never waivered in her knowledge that God was there with her! Her love did not stop at her family, she absolutely loved serving at Lunch Partners to ‘her people’ there! As she went into the hospital, she was so sad that she wasn’t going to be there on Wednesday. To be able to serve and spread the gospel was the best gift that God gave her – it made her so very happy! As Mary got worse, she just wanted to come home and see her dog, Bandit, one more time. She came home on hospice and in one of her few lucid moments, she got her wish and was able to cradle Bandit’s face in her hands. Then as her strength waned, she went back to sleep with a smile on her face. The next morning, less than 16 hours later, God called her home while her children sang the Old, Old Path. This was the song she wanted sung at her funeral. Her family takes comfort in knowing that Mary is walking down that old, old path now with her friends and family most dear, with the Nazarene, and all the angels near. She will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be held at Mount Zion Restoration Branch on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 11AM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Lunch Partners.