Mary Patrice (Shaw) Glover

MARY PATRICE (SHAW) GLOVER – December 29, 1933 – January 13, 2021

Mary Patricia (Shaw) Glover passed away peacefully on January 13, 2021, at home, surrounded by her family.  She was 87 years old.  She was the beloved wife of the late William H. Glover, Sr., and devoted mother of the late William H. Glover, Jr. (Diane), Bonnie A. Murphy (Don), Veronica M. Hartner (Jack), Cynthia L. Ousborne (Jeff), Jacqueline L. Smith (Randy), the late Robert A. Glover, Patrice M. Turner (Dan), the late Scott C. Glover,  and Timothy C. Glover (Fran).   She is the loving sister of Thomas Shaw (Anita), Timothy Shaw (Fran), and five pre-deceased siblings, Joseph R. Shaw, Jr. (Dolly),  Ann Marie (Nancy) Krug (Fred), Jack Shaw (Caroline, Sylvia), and Mary Jane (Susie) Hall (Wayne, Bill) and Gerald Shaw (Bea).  She had been blessed by 20 grandchildren and 37 great- grandchildren.

Mary Patrice (aka ‘Pat’ to her friends and Gran’ma’ by everyone else) was born on December 29, 1933 into a large Irish Catholic family.   She grew up in Catonsville with 7 siblings (Bob, Nancy, Jack, Tom, Susie, Gerry & Tim…..she fit in as #3 after Nancy).  She attended Catholic High in Baltimore and often talked about her extensive bus & trolley car trip to get to school each day.  During her high school years she was a sweet and very cute model for a short bit.

She met her future husband (our dad), Bill Glover, at a ‘sock-hop’ dance at an old teen center (Kay Hill) in Baltimore.  She courted him until they married on April 25, 1953.  She was 19 and he was 22.  Over the years, they built their family of 9 children (Billy, Bonnie, Ronnie, Cindi, Jacki, Bobby, Patti, Scott & Tim).  Heartbreakingly, two of her children (Bobby & Scott) passed away as infants due to cardiac issues.   Although she did not raise these babies, they will forever be recognized as her children.

After all of her children grew into adulthood and we began to build our own families, our dad began to experience some very serious cardiac issues.  When he could no longer work, she pursued a Nursing Degree at Howard Community College at the age of 43.  After graduating from Nursing School, she worked as a devoted labor and delivery nurse at Montgomery General Hospital for 22 years.  Because of her own experience of loss (of 2 infants), she initiated a bereavement & counseling program for young mothers who have lost their babies at birth.  She had a lot of wisdom to share and it helped her own heart to heal from her own losses. 

Very sadly, on Christmas Eve in 1993, our dad passed away unexpectedly after recovering and moving on from a triple by-pass surgery.  Unknowing to anyone else, she experienced an everlasting grief and loneliness that she never exposed to anyone.   When she lost the love of her life 27 years ago, she lost a huge part of her heart, but no one would have ever guessed that because she carried on with her cherry and uplifting personality.   She was the epitomy of happiness and joy and a true example of strength and love!  She kept a beautiful journal over the years which consisted of actual letters that she wrote to the love of her life (our dad) in Heaven, spilling out her heart to him about how much she loved him and missed him so dearly.

In 2000, deep grief haunted her again when she lost her oldest son (our brother), Bill, to a sudden cardiac arrest after a quadruple by-pass surgery.  After the loss of her husband and three sons, she continued to be strong.  With a very large family, she had constant companions and was always busy doing fun things. 

Over the years, five of her siblings had passed away as her own family grew.  She remained very active, independent, and very social.  She really enjoyed her time with family and friends.  She loved puzzles and she loved playing bingo with her sister, Nan, at St. Michael’s Church. Once a month, she and her siblings would gather to play cards for many, many years to keep that sibling bond strong.  She enjoyed traveling with her friends and saw so much of the world.  But more than anything, she enjoyed her annual family gatherings at the beach every fall.  For years, the family celebrated our dad’s birthday at the beach and it continued every year, long after he passed.  She always looked forward to that for so many reasons, but she especially enjoyed watching the grandkids frolic on the beach and in the water, and just spending quality time together as a family. 

At the age of 66, mom retired from nursing to enjoy her ever expanding family as grand and great-grandchildren began to join the family.  She had TWENTY (20!) grandchildren and THIRTY FIVE (35!!) great grandchildren with a set of TWINS ON THE WAY!  With the rapid addition of these babies, her spirits lifted and her happiness soared as was expressed in her journals. 

Our mom had been a member of St. Louis Church for FIFTY SEVEN (57!!!) years!!  She had been involved in the Bereavement Team for many years and was also on a team that counted the collection money after mass.  She truly enjoyed participating in these missions and devoted many hours to volunteering at the church.  Her strong faith in God and her deep devotion to our Blessed Mother was always evident in her words and in her actions….and she prayed!…she prayed for everyone and everything!  She attended mass almost every day, either at St Louis or at the Franciscan Monastery.  Her love for family was like none other.  She was so proud of her children and her grandchildren and her sons and daughters- in- law.  She was a surrogate mom to many, and she was truly loved by many more!! She had such a gentle, loving and beautiful soul!! So how do you describe an angel? That is what our mom was, an angel on earth.  She was kind, sweet, thoughtful and faithful, with such a caring heart.

Like everyone else, 2020 hit her hard.  On January 2nd, she lost one of her great grandsons, Beckett, to an unexpected and very rare cardiac disorder.  Grief struck again, but she remained steady and was a pillar of strength for her grandson, Jamie, and his wife, Lexi.  Once again she carried others through their grief and she truly was a godsend to them.  This summer brought great joy when Jamie and Lexi announced that they had been blessed with the pregnancy of not one, but two babies, a girl and a boy!! Such joy! 

With the fright of the COVID 19 pandemic, she was living her life very, very carefully.  She truly took every precaution possible and kept safe at home, very rarely venturing out, only when necessary.  At the end of the year, 2020 delivered one last punch.  Just days after her EIGHTY SEVENTH (87TH!!) birthday, she tested positive for that dreaded virus.  After battling the virus and becoming increasingly weak, she vocalized about how joyful her life had been and that she was ready to be in Heaven with the love of her life and her three sons that she missed so dearly. She asked for hospice care and passed away peacefully, shortly after, surrounded by her family in prayer.  We can only imagine the glorious greeting that she received as she entered paradise that day!

During her funeral mass, we, her children, will carry her on her last journey as a symbol of our gratefulness to her for carrying each of us through our journey on this earth.  We will be wearing matching masks with a heart on them crafted from the very pillowcase where she last rested her head as she passed from this world on to Heaven.  Most people can only dream about angels but we were all blessed and honored to have had this beautiful angel in our lives.   She had a heart of gold and a mind and soul focused on God.  She knew how to look for Jesus in every person that she met, and by her actions, it was evident to others that she had Jesus deep in her soul.  She was patient, kind and humble…honest, forgiving and faithful… and she was compassionate, caring and loyal.  This was who our mother was. The angels rejoiced greatly when she was standing in the presence of our God!!!

Funeral -- Because of the current pandemic situation, a private mass and burial will be attended by family only at this time. We will celebrate our mom’s life at a later date when it is safe to gather in numbers once again. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:

OUR DAILY BREAD (Catholic Charities)

Donations can be made in the HONOR OF MARY PATRICE GLOVER via

Mail in check – Our Daily Bread c/o Catholic Charities, 320 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Online –www.cc-md.org

Phone – 667-600-2021 (Trey)

THE SHRINE OF ST ANTHONY AT THE FRANCISCAN MONASTARY

Donations can be made in the HONOR OF MARY PATRICE GLOVER via

Mail in check –The Shrine of St. Anthony at the Franciscan Monastery, 12290 Folly Quarter Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21042       

Online --   info@shrineofstanthonyy.org

Phone – 410-531-2800 (Carol)…to set up a Mass to be said in her honor….

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