Mary Louise Shadle

Her parents were George Wilbur Troost and Louise Marie Schlutt. The Troost family came from the Netherlands to Vermont and then to Michigan in the 1860’s. The family had a furniture store, but George chose accounting. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1924, worked as an accountant, and then became comptroller and later a vice president at Chrysler Motors.

The Schlutts were fishermen from northern Germany. They came to America to escape their 5 sons having to fight for the Kaiser. They arrived in the U.S. on October 18, 1882, and then settled in St. Joseph, Michigan on Lake Michigan because it reminded them of their native Germany. Mary Lou’s mother, Louise, was a Lutheran and sang in the church.

Mary Lou grew up in Detroit, Michigan and spent summers in St. Joseph with aunts, uncles, her older brother, and their cousins, swimming in the chilly waters of Lake Michigan. She also spent time swimming and boating at the 1940’s style log cabin cottage her parents owned on Lake Maceday in Waterford, Michigan. Mary Lou often remembered going out on Lake St. Clair in a large cabin cruiser with her friend Joan and her parents. If you knew Mary Lou, you would know that she was always looking for the next lake or swimming pool because she loved the water.

Mary Lou studied music and voice at Wellesley College and Northwestern University. She sang in the choral group and joined a sorority. At Northwestern she met and later married Harold R. Shadle who was from England, Arkansas. They were married on December 3, 1953 in Detroit, Michigan. The wedding reception was at the Detroit Golf Club.

The couple lived in Birmingham, Michigan, but later moved to Chicago and then to a small town in New Jersey. They had three children: Georgeanne, Cynthia (Cindy), and William (Bill). Later the family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where Harold (Heels) started a giftware business.

Mary Lou had a beautiful singing voice. In high school she sang on Detroit Radio. After she was married, she performed at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City. She studied voice at The Juilliard School of Music in New York. Mary Lou later recorded an album under the stage name Mary Wilder. The album features 1940’s style songs including “Autumn Leaves” and “Moonlight in Vermont”. She often said that her favorite songs were those of the 1940’s. She also loved classical music and especially Claude Debussy.

Being a true animal lover, Mary Lou always let the children have pets. Including a dog and a cat, there were hamsters, goldfish, a white duck, and even a Capuchin monkey that her daughter Cindy wanted. Mary Lou also adopted 2 black feral cats that neighbors had rescued from the wild. The 2 cats lived in her house for over 20 years. Mary Lou also donated money to many animal charities.

Mary Lou joined Alcoholics Anonymous and attended meetings for over 3 decades. She also became a mentor, helping and encouraging others to stay sober.

Mary Lou is survived by 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held Monday, February 9, 2026 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at Sandy Springs Chapel, 136 Mt. Vernon Hwy., Sandy Springs, GA 30328. A funeral service will take place Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 11:00am immediately followed by interment at Arlington Memorial Park.