Mary Rutherford Neubauer

On May 31st, 2026, Mary “Mimi” Rutherford Neubauer, 59, of Arlington, Virginia, beloved wife of Peter A. Neubauer and loving mother of Lilly and Margaret “Maggie” Neubauer, passed away suddenly of cardiac arrest.

Born at Columbia Hospital for Women in Washington, D.C. on November 17th, 1966 to the late Jim and Mary (Scott) Shortley, Mimi grew up in Potomac, MD, where she attended Wooton High School. She met her husband Peter Neubauer, Washington, D.C. in 1990 and they wed on May 6th, 1995 at the St. Albans School Little Sanctuary.

Mimi started working at a young age beginning in 1985 at age 19 in merchandising for famous District department store Woodward & Lothrop (Woodies). She received her Associates Degree in Fashion Merchandising from Montgomery College the next year and proceeded to become store manager at Ups and Downs and Britches of Georgetown. She returned to Woodies in 1989 eventually rising to women’s sportswear buyer before the venerable store went out of business in 1995. After a brief stint working at her husband’s engineering consulting business, Mimi went back to the retail sector and worked for The Hecht Company buying department.

Her most treasured accomplishment, however, was giving birth to twin daughters Lilly and Maggie in July, 2003 and after Hecht’s was purchased by Macy’s, Mimi went on to work at St. Thomas More Cathedral School, where both her girls attended. She started out as a receptionist, eventually becoming an administrative assistant to the principal, ultimately working there for 16 years until 2024.

The Delaware seashore was always very special to her, whether it was her childhood years spent in Rehoboth with her family, her wild Dewey Beach party days in her 20s, or raising her kids to cherish the place like she did. Most recently, she was working on remodeling her beach home and looking forward to retiring there whenever her husband would finally stop working. Her newest addition to the family was an English bulldog named Sherman, who stole her heart regardless of how often he would chew her toes. She didn’t use social media often, but when she did, it was to send a silly video of a bulldog to one of her daughters. Holidays were always a special time to Mimi, as she graciously hosted family dinners and relished decorating her home during the seasons.

Selfless is an understatement when describing Mimi. She always encouraged her husband and children to follow their hearts, even if it meant having an empty nest for a while. Mimi rarely if ever complained about her husband galavanting off around the world for his reserve military service and encouraged her children to attend college wherever they wanted regardless of the distance. Mimi simply wanted her house of four to be happy.

She is survived by husband, Peter Neubauer, daughters Lilly and Margaret Neubauer, and brother, James Shortley. She is preceded in death by her parents, James and Mary Shortley.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Knights of Columbus Arlington Council #2473 in Arlington, VA on Saturday, June 20th from 1-4pm; casual summer attire is requested for Mimi's Celebration of Life. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Edmond Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, DE on Saturday, July 11th at 12pm.