Mary was born on January 21, 1940, on Staten Island, NY. She attended Saint Peter’s High School and went on to attend the Chiropractic College of New York.
During her early adult years, Mary was an accomplished musician, playing several instruments, including the accordion, piano, guitar, clarinet, and double-decker organ. She was both a private music teacher and an accompanist to a local band. It was through her love of music that she met and later married her husband, Richard Allen LaDieu, on March 3, 1965.
Mary and her family moved from Staten Island, New York, to Prince George’s County, Maryland, in 1974, where they raised their two children and provided a loving home to more than a dozen special-needs foster children. While Mary studied to become a chiropractor, her heart called her in a different direction—as a special education teacher. She worked for many years at the National Children’s Center in Washington, D.C.
Mary’s love of teaching and dogs led her to become an instructor at the Canine Training Association in Laurel, Maryland, and at the Capital Dog Training Club of D.C. She was also a founding member of the K-9 Konnection Dog Club, where the focus was on helping young people become responsible dog owners and handlers.
Mary loved her time at CTA and participating in the world of dog shows through the United Kennel Club. She and her husband, Richard, along with their grandchildren, spent many fun years traveling across America and into Canada to show their beloved Irish Red and White Setters.
Mary’s love for her grandchildren and her desire to participate with them in activities they enjoyed led her to volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America in both College Park and Laurel, Maryland.
Mary was preceded in death by her siblings, Thomas Carlin, George Shake, and Doris Shake Scaffa.
She is survived by her daughter, Ann Marie Chinn (Michael), and her son, Richard Alan (Melissa Specht); her grandchildren, Lilyana, Vincent, Daniel, Samantha, and Alexander; her two great-grandchildren, Geovanii and Samara; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.
A final service will be held at Robert E. Evans Funeral Home in Bowie, Maryland, on October 28, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Blue Ribbon Project in Crownsville, Maryland, or the Elville Center for the Creative Arts in Columbia, Maryland.
