CEARLEY, Mary S. age 102 of Hamilton passed away peacefully Saturday July 21, 2018 . She was born in Hamilton, Ohio on April 8, 1916 the daughter of LeRoy and Marie (Lenhoff) Maupin and was a 1934 graduate of Notre Dame High School. On November 30, 1940 she married Jesse W. Cearley and he preceded her in death on February 17, 1985. Mrs. Cearley was a member of St. Ann Church and the Altar Rosary Society.

Mary enjoyed playing music and was a very accomplished pianist. Playing in the Maupin Family Orchestra she met her husband Jesse through a friend.  Jesse served as vocalist for the group before they fell in love and were married. Her sister Jane married the saxophone player Wally Auld.  Later she accompanied for the her sister Betty Sroufe at her dance studio, writing, arranging and playing for dance classes and performances. After her family grew, she mostly played piano for family functions and senior center activities in her later years.

In the 1930s, Mary ran a mill at Shuler and Benninghoffen Woolen Mills in Hamilton Ohio's Lindenwald section of town where she eventually raised her family and lived out the rest of her life.

Living the life of  homemaker with her husband Jesse and 7 children, she helped with the family's Cearley's Soft Pretzel Bakery as well as having many years of employment at the nearby Mt. Pleasant Bakery.

Mary was very devout in her faith and on most days of the week you would see her walking to and from St. Ann Church for daily Mass well into her early 90s.

She kept in touch with her friends from Notre Dame enjoying many years of card club with her classmates and others who joined the group over time. One thing she loved was playing 500 Rummy with whomever was up for the challenge.

Mary attributed her longevity to always staying active with exercise, eating right, word puzzles and lots of walking especially since she never drove a car due to her extreme sight impairment.

Mary loved dogs and will be missed by her most recent companion Shih-Tzu/Maltese mix named Puffy.

Survivors include five children, Joe (Kathy), Carol (Corky) Combs, Bob (Debbie), Rick (Debbie) and Steve (Sandy) Cearley; 20 grandchildren; 36 great grandchildren; and 1 great great grandchild; 3 sisters, Jane Auld, Betty Sroufe and Dorothy Rigg.

Besides her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her sister Myrtle Meece, brothers James, LeRoy, John, Joe, and Thom Maupin. Her son, Jesse W. "Buddy" Cearley Jr. passed on May 21, 2005 and daughter, Joy Keitz on February 9, 2018.

Special Thanks to Sanctuary Pointe and Vitas Hospice Care for the loving and special care they provided.

Prayers will be offered at 10:00am Wednesday in the Zettler Funeral Home, 2646 Pleasant Ave. followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30am Wednesday in St. Ann Church with Fr. Larry Tharp celebrant. Visitation will be from 9:00-10:00am Wednesday in the funeral home. Burial will be in Butler County Memorial Park. Memorials are suggested to the Mary Maupin Cearley '34 Memorial Scholarship Fund through Badin High School and St. Ann Catholic Church. Online register book available at www.zettlerfuneralhome.com