Mary Edna Sabin Shoop 1929-2020
Honorary matriarch to many of her neighbors in midtown and across the country, Marymom, a marvelous woman with incredible tenacity.
She grew up with her brother Sam on their parents'— Esther and Herbert Sabin's— Wyoming homestead ranch; attending the one- room country school and driving tractors over the hay fields. After graduating from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelors in Education, Mary moved independently to the West Coast where she taught public school.
In 1955 she married Naval Lieutenant Marvin Shoop and moved back to the Great Plains to support Marvin's rangeland research and PhD pursuit. Mary continued to teach in Oklahoma and earned Remedial Reading Instruction credentials at CSU while raising four kids.
Marymom opened her home to senior dogs and elderly relatives as well as traveling friends, grandkids, and more. She was a fantastic hostess and a sympathetic listener. Roses, peonies, and an abundance of wildflowers bloomed in her gardens with squirrel-supplied sunflowers scattered throughout. Summers were punctuated with impromptu margaritas on the deck and always a grand production or two. She was a positive influence for dozens of individuals throughout several generations.
Mary loved outdoor parties, mysteries, sand paintings, and feeding any neighborhood cats who might stop by. She is survived by her son Greg Shoop, her daughters Valri Bauer, Jeri Shoop, and DeeDee Sabin, seven grandchildren, one great granddaughter, and her lifelong barbecue friends Denise Schmidt, Dick Speer, and Matt Battiato.
Mary had looked forward to participating in the upcoming election and hoped that everyone who could vote would do so.