Mary Stahlman was taken peacefully by the Lord on February 9 at the age of 86. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Elma and William Badertscher and her older brother, John Badertscher. She is survived by her son, Jeff and his wife Sharon of Westerville, Ohio and grandchildren, Andrea Stahlman of New York City and Nick Stahlman and his wife Holly of Parker, Colorado and her great granddaughter, Elliot and by her sister Martha and husband Lowell Hostetler of Bluffton, Ohio.

 A memorial  service will be held on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 12:00 noon with a memorial viewing from 9:00 a.m. until the hour of service at the Sidney First United Methodist Church, Sidney, Ohio with Rev. Eileen Hix officiating. A luncheon will follow.  

Born on New Year’s Eve 1937, we should have known that Mary would often be dressed in sparkles for the rest of her life.  She graduated from Bluffton High School and from Bluffton College with a teaching degree, and then received her Masters of Education degree from Xavier University.   

Mary taught for 36 years, the vast majority in Sidney, Ohio at Central Elementary School as a third grade teacher. She made a positive impact on countless students and fellow faculty members. Her “second” career and family can be found at Sidney’s First United Methodist Church where she volunteered for more than thirty years. It might be hard to find a parishioner there who has not received a card and note of encouragement from Mary.  

She devoted herself to helping those going through cancer and served as a bright light of encouragement and positivity.  A cancer survivor herself, Mary volunteered for many years raising money for the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life where she raised thousands upon thousands of dollars for the cause.  

Mary’s favorite hobby was shopping.  Anyone who has ever shopped with her will know that is not an event for the faint of heart. Any shopping trip with Mary would often involve meeting new people who asked her about her clothing and the frog accessories she often wore. Mary would use the frog to tell anyone in earshot that the frog represented the phrase “Fully Rely on God.”  Trips to Savannah and Charleston were a staple for Mary and as recently as 2023 she ran into store clerks who have worked with her over her many years of visits.  

Mary was an absolute original and dressed in a way that was uniquely her own. Mary lived a life that most certainly fully relied on God and has inspired so many others to do the same. Mary’s family would like to thank the wonderful staff and health care professionals at Dorothy Love Retirement Community, the Ohio State Ross and University hospital and the Ohio’s Hospice of Miami County.  

In lieu of flowers or memorial gifts, please donate to the American Cancer Society (https://donate.cancer.org) or Wilson Health Cancer Center, 915 W. Michigan Ave., Sidney, Ohio  45365 or the charity of one’s choice. Envelopes will be available at the memorial service. Salm-McGill and Tangeman Funeral Home, Sidney, Ohio is honored to be taking care of the Stahlman family.