Obituary of Betty Mae Shoemaker

Betty Mae Shoemaker

(March 19^th, 1924 –

December 20^th, 2023)

It is with great sadness that the sons of Betty Mae Shoemaker announce the passing of our beloved mother and family matriarch on December 20^th, 2023 in Hilton Head Hospital, Hilton Head Island, SC, at the age of ninety-nine years and nine months, following a brief illness. Betty was born on March 19^th, 1924 in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore, MD, the daughter of Loretta Mae Sprucebank and Harry Alvin Oden.  She was a member of Grace-Hampden Methodist Church, graduated from Western High School, and attended the Maryland Institute of Art, where she cultivated a lifelong love of art and painting and developed into a very talented artist.  In addition to painting on canvasses, she was known for producing intricate and detailed paintings on smooth, varnished stones. She initially worked as a professional draftsperson for the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company and later for the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation.  Mrs. Shoemaker was a World War II bride and a very proud member of the “greatest generation,” supporting the war effort in a variety of capacities and organizations on the domestic front.  As a result, she developed a profound sense of patriotism and love of her country for the rest of her life, continuing to proudly support patriotic and veterans support organizations.  From 1972 to 1989, she resided in Frederick, MD, where she attended Edgewood Church of God.  During this period, she was the store manager at Tuerke’s gift shop and a department manager at Eyerly’s, later The Bon-Ton, in the Fredericktowne Mall. She retired to Seaford, DE in 1989, where she made countless friends, was well-known in the community, and led an active social life that included being a member at the Seaford Senior Center.  After living in Seaford for 23 years, she relocated to Hilton Head Island, SC, in 2012, again making numerous new friends and becoming a familiar face at the Hilton Head Island S.H.A.R.E. center.  She attended Saint Andrew By-the-Sea United Methodist Church from 2012 to 2020, and  continued to participate in her lifelong love of art and painting,  producing impressive works of art on canvasses and stones through the age of 98. 

Mrs. Shoemaker is survived by her three sons, Robert Randall Mixter (Veronica) of Glen Burnie, MD, Steven Lee Mixter (Carol) of Salisbury, MD, and Darrin Shoemaker of Hilton Head Island.  She is survived by her brother, Ronald Murdock Oden of Broomfield, CO, two grandchildren, Lisa Mixter Carroll of Salisbury, MD and Kristina Lyn Stroud (Erwin) of Baltimore, MD, and a nephew, Troy Oden of Black Hawk, CO.  She is also survived by five great-grandchildren, Aliyah Stroud, Alexis Stroud, Erwin Stroud, Jr. of Pasadena, MD, Allie Bosman of Clearfield, PA, Hailey Richmond of Berkeley Springs, WV, and four great-great-grandchildren, Braden and Abel Richmond of Berkeley Springs, WV, Logan Bosman of Clearfield, PA, and  Abrianna Upperman of Pasadena, MD.  She was preceded in death by her two husbands, Robert Lee Mixter of Baltimore, MD and William Lavier Shoemaker of Frederick, MD, and a beloved daughter-in-law, Barbara Beall Mixter of Salisbury, MD.  She will also be missed by her special friends Kaye Donaway of Seaford, DE, Sunni Bond of Greenwood, SC, and Joe Buscarello of West Palm Beach, FL.    

Arrangements are being made by The Island Funeral Home and Crematory of Hilton Head Island, SC.  Interment and a service of remembrance will be held at Druid Ridge Cemetery in Baltimore, MD at 2:00pm on January 22, 2024.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wheels That Heal, P. O. Box 1754, Salisbury, MD, 21802 an organization that provides support to those in need of medical assistance.