Mary Leidecker died peacefully from cancer on August 17, 2024, surrounded by her sister Rosemary, cousin Matt Ely and family friend Maryann Barber. Born Mary Regina Angelina Leidecker on April 2, 1978 to Marilyn and Alan Leidecker, she was predeceased by her father Alan, her Uncle Henning Leidecker and her cousin Tom Tolman. When Mary was a junior in high school, she moved to Charlottesville where she graduated from Charlottesville High School in 1996. Intelligent and vivacious, she enjoyed working in various restaurants in the area. Several anecdotes from this period of her life stand out that reveal both Mary’s delight in the absurd and her gentle and trusting nature. The first is the day she came home from her job at Shoney’s in her brown polyester uniform, only to notice that the cat had caught a chipmunk in the back yard. Always an animal lover, Mary ran out to the back yard where the chipmunk immediately sensed the presence of a friend and protector and ran straight up her pants. Upon hearing the commotion, Mary’s Aunt Bonny looked out the window to see the cat circling Mary, who was jumping up and down screaming. Mary’s uniform was no worse for wear, but her legs were scratched up. The doctor at urgent care told her they would have to call the police about an unprovoked animal attack, which Mary thought was ridiculous and hilarious. She took great glee recounting this episode for years, especially enjoying the fact that the doctor had no idea how to code the incident for insurance purposes, Mary being perhaps the first person he had ever attended whose legs had provided safe harbor to a terrified chipmunk. Mary and her cousin Elizabeth used to wonder if the scriptwriters of the children’s show “Phineas and Ferb” somehow heard about Mary’s adventure when they wrote the song about Candace having squirrels in her pants. Years later, after Mary had long left Shoney’s to become the maitre d’ at the prestigious Keswick Country Club outside of Charlottesville, VA, she nervously began to approach three older gentlemen who were dressed very shabbily. Her kindhearted nature hesitated to turn them away for dinner, but their attire definitely did not meet the standards of the establishment. Seeing her confusion, a coworker hastily approached her and told her to admit the men at once as they were Mick Jagger and two of the Rolling Stones who had just performed to a sold-out crowd in Charlottesville. When she came home that night she talked about the old, skinny, wrinkled men wearing jeans and tennis shoes to Keswick. Always quick with numbers, Mary put herself through Piedmont Community College and Old Dominion University to earn a degree in accounting while working full-time. Keswick quickly put her talents to good use in the accounting department, which she loved. However, the temptation to move to Florida with Mario da Silva and enjoy sunny weather and its famous beaches enticed her to bid farewell to Keswick about eight years ago. Her good friend Victoria had already moved there and encouraged her to make the move. In Sarasota, Mary worked as an accountant at several firms, made friends everywhere she went, as she had done throughout her life, and adopted her beloved dogs Cookie and Penny. Before long she bought her dream home complete with a swimming pool and enjoyed being one of the “Loopers”, named after her street address, the Rainwashed Loop. She especially loved her neighbors! Everything was going well when, all of a sudden, Mary was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer in May. She kept her illness private, but was well supported by her sister Rosemary, a nurse who managed her care from afar and then from the house when Mary moved to Roanoke three weeks before her death. A week later, the “Loopers” hired a U-haul and brought her possessions, including her car, to Rosemary’s house where they had a party and celebrated their friendship. Victoria Casey Ponikvar, her friend of many years came too. Despite her declining health, Mary never lost her ability to connect with people, asking each person who came to her room how they were doing and minimizing her own needs so as not to inconvenience them. She also never lost her sense of humor. Upon discovering that her cardiologist, Dr. King, loved chickens and hoped to start a YouTube channel about raising hens, she quipped that he should name it “Chickens a la King.” Mary felt loved by so many family members who visited her in Florida. She was grateful for all the emails, texts, and calls she received from family and friends. She got to see cousins Jon Leidecker, Rafael Pazos, Elizabeth Tolman and Matt Ely, Aunt Bonny and Aunt Barbara and her beloved sister Rosemary, who stayed right in her room and became her private duty nurse. In Roanoke, she cherished visits from her mother, friend Jessie Barber and her mother Maryann, Pancho and Mariale Pazos and their children Ignacio and Rebeca, Paul Ely and Sharlyn Thacker, Matt and Suzanne Ely and 3 year old Caroline, Aunt Bonny and Uncle Herb. Antonio Pazos drove down to spend time with Rosemary after Mary’s death. Mary leaves her mother, Marilyn Leidecker, sister Rosemary Wade, niece Christiana Parrack, nephew Steven Parrack, Uncle Herb and Aunt Bonny Ely, Aunt Allene Wright, Aunt Mary Martha and Uncle Felipe Pazos, Aunt Barbara and Uncle Jerry Ritter, Mario da Silva, ten cousins and spouses, and many friends, all of whom miss her terribly. A Mass of Celebration will be held at our Lady of Nazareth Parish in Roanoke on September 4, 2024 at 11:00 AM.  For those who cannot attend in person, the service will be livestreamed. A special celebration for family and friends will be held in Charlottesville at the Church of Our Savior in the Parish Hall on November 30, 2024 from 1:00 until 4:00. At this time, we will share Mary stories and they will be abundant! The family ask you to share your memories of Mary online.  The service will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend.  To watch, visit this website  https://www.youtube.com/live/QY19ld_r6lA?si=FsWsu_O1nzfsDiYf.