Mary Jane Schumacher

With love and gratitude for a life well lived, we share that Mary Jane (Ketch) Schumacher passed away at home on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 after a brief illness in Greenville, South Carolina.

Mary Jane was born in Elyria, Ohio on January 12, 1948 to Leslie and Bernadine (Obringer) Ketch. She was raised alongside her siblings in Oberlin, Ohio in a loving home on the family’s farm. As the second-oldest of five siblings, Mary Jane was a natural caregiver. She graduated from Elyria Catholic High School in 1966 and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Special Education from the University of Dayton in 1970.

Mary Jane met Bob Schumacher in the late 70’s. They married in 1981 and began their life together in Dayton, Ohio, where Mary Jane worked as a special education teacher and Bob worked as a newspaper reporter and editor. Mary Jane went on to earn her master’s degree from Wright State University.

Mary Jane and Bob lived in various cities and in 1986, their first daughter, Kara, was born in Michigan City, Indiana. The family later settled in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. While in Sheboygan, they lost Kara to cancer at the age of 8 in 1995. During Kara’s extended illness, Mary Jane devoted herself to caring for Kara and spent many weeks and months away from home while Kara received treatment in another city.

Mary Jane and Bob felt called to continue parenting, and in 1997, they adopted daughters Tasha and Sasha at the ages of 5 and 4. The family moved to Greenville, South Carolina to raise their daughters, where Mary Jane continued teaching and also took on caregiving for Bob, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Together, they devoted themselves to their family as their daughters grew. In 2014, Bob passed away from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Mary Jane continued teaching locally in special education classrooms until her retirement from Greenville City Schools in 2018.

After retiring, Mary Jane enjoyed spending time with her children and, eventually, grandchildren, baking bread for family and friends, traveling, gardening, puzzles, reading, and spending time with friends and loved ones. She loved spending time in her backyard garden, where she lovingly tended daily to a garden in memory of Bob and another garden in memory of Kara. Mary Jane was close with her four siblings and other family and frequently traveled to visit them in various states. She maintained lifelong friendships with extended family, childhood and college friends. She will be remembered for her compassion, selflessness, friendship, her quick sense of humor, her devotion to education, her love of gardening, and her spirit of social justice for those who struggled. No matter what she was enduring, she always took time to give and care for others.

Mary Jane is survived by her daughters, Sasha (Rolf) and Tasha (Phillip), her grandsons, Jackson, Scout, Koa, and Maverick Howard, her siblings, Elizabeth (Liz) Ketch of Whittier, NC (Peggy Jennings), Gertrude (Dan) Jarven of Oberlin, OH, Rose (Dick) Fulton of Curtice, OH, and Jim (Judi) Ketch of Springboro, OH, brother-in-law Larry (Kathleen) Schumacher, and brother-in-law Jim (Lisa) Schumacher. She also leaves nephews David (Charyse) Jarven, Ric (Pam) Fulton, Tim Fulton, Bryan Fulton, Max (Breland) Schumacher, Zach (Jessica) Schumacher and nieces Erin (Mike) Thuente, Jenna Ketch, Jennifer (Lou) Tristano. She leaves great-nieces and nephews John and Ema McMillion-Jarven, Leah and Brendan Thuente, Eric Fulton, Ashley (Robert) Anderson, and Paisley, Jack, and Stella Anderson, Salvadore, Sophia and Autumn Tristano,Beckham and Bennett Schumacher. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leslie and Bernadine Ketch, her husband Bob Schumacher, and her daughter, Kara Schumacher.

Mary Jane will be laid to rest next to her husband and daughter at St. Mary’s Cemetery Elyria, Ohio. The family will receive friends at Laubenthal Mercado Funeral Home in Elyria, Ohio on Tuesday, April 3, 2026 from times with burial services immediately following.

Mary Jane’s family wishes to thank her multitude of friends and neighbors who were there for her when she needed them. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Make-A-Wish Foundation in memory of Kara Ketch Schumacher.

The family will receive friends at on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 from 10:30 a.m. until the time of service at 12:30 p.m. at Laubenthal Mercado Funeral Home 38475 Chestnut Ridge Road (at State Route 57) in Elyria, Ohio on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Reverend Father Charles T. Diedrick, pastor will officiate. Interment at St. Mary Cemetery in Elyria will immediately follow.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.laubenthalmercado.com. Arrangements entrusted to Laubenthal Mercado Funeral Home in Elyria.