This is a love story. Our beloved mother, Mary “Mitzi” Hughes, passed away peacefully and walked into the open arms of our Lord, on June 30th, 2020, in the comfort of her own home surrounded by her loved ones due to the cumulative effects of a major brain stem stroke suffered in the Fall of 2015.
Mitzi was born on September 27th, 1933 to Margaret and John Scrip. She was the eldest of their six children and began her life humbly sleeping in a dresser drawer as an infant. She was raised in a then vibrant steel town on the shores of the Monongahela River in Southwestern Pennsylvania. She spent her formative years with her dear Aunt Clara who became like a second mother and mentored Mitzi imparting amazing never-ending qualities of grace, goodness, generosity and unselfishness. Mitzi graduated from Douglass Business College and met her husband Bob Hughes while working as a secretary to the dean at California State College. The story goes that Mitzi asked Bob to be taken out on their first date! Mitzi and Bob were married on August 31,1957 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Roscoe PA. Their union produced three children, Monica Mary, Robert John and Paula Marie.
When her two youngest children were still in diapers, Mitzi stood behind her husbands desire for a better life for his family putting 100% of her support behind him attending graduate school in Kalamazoo Michigan and earning a master’s degree in Orientation and Mobility.
She worked alongside her husband at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children for 15 years. In January of 1979 she and her husband and family made the bold but wise move to relocate to Charlotte, North Carolina where she lived for the remainder of her life.
Upon moving to Charlotte, Mitzi went to work for Nations Bank of America, then for Tryon Securities, and finally finished her illustrious career in the banking industry at Bank of America where her work ethic, intellect, and professionalism enabled her to contribute immensely to the efforts of the International Investment Division.
Mitzi retired from Bank of America upon the birth of her two amazing grandsons Cameron John and Joshua Hughes Chapman deciding without hesitation that her daughter needed help raising these two guys who were of course on different feeding schedules as infants. She took great pride in her role as their “Gubby” and delighted in watching them grow into two fine young gentlemen about to enter their Junior year in college.
Once her grandsons were raised, Mitzi directed her nurturing talents to the feeding and caring of feral cats, deer, squirrels, birds, racoons and the occasional possum. She would feed and water the animals twice daily placing ice cubes to cool the cats’ water in the summer or heat their food up in the winter. She grew to become an exceptional cook and baker, and enjoyed trying out new recipes for her husband and family from a culinary library of over 400 cookbooks and kitchen cabinets stocked with every imaginable kitchen tool and gadget. She would often share her leftovers with her neighbors and took to-go plates to them. She loved to shop with her daughters and decorate. She enjoyed watching action and scary movies with her son. She tuned in on Sundays to watch her favorite NFL team the Pittsburgh Steelers. She loved working crossword puzzles and Sudoku. She loved listening to classical music and adored the Bee Gee’s.
Mitzi was a remarkable woman, that rare combination of beauty, intellect and strength. She had a strong moral compass that always pointed north. You knew where you stood with our beloved mother, but she also had an amazing capacity to love and forgive.
Mitzi was a member of St. Peter’s Jesuit Catholic Church where she was a Eucharistic minister. She loved attending mass daily on her lunch hour while she worked for Bank of America. During this period, she befriended a homeless man, bought him clothes, cleaned him up and found him a job. This is the essence of our beloved mother, a true servant of God.
Mitzi is preceded in death by her mother and father Margaret and John Scrip, her sister Patricia Bandini, her brother John ‘Buzz” Scrip, her great aunts Clara Schneider, Elsa Redmer, Dorothy Kurtz, Larue Scrip, great uncles, Herbert Schneider, Carl Schneider, her brothers in law Paul Hughes, Terry Bandini and sister in law Darla Scrip.
She is survived by her devoted husband of 63 years, Bob Hughes of their home in Charlotte, her daughter Monica and husband Leigh Gilbertsen of Corona California, her son Bob Hughes and wife Abby of Charlotte, daughter Paula, who provided incredible care and love to our mother, and her husband Brian Chapman and their two sons Cameron and Joshua of Charlotte, her brother and sister in law, Herb and Joann Scrip of Polk PA, her brother Bill Scrip of Roscoe PA, and her brother Charles, “Butch” Scrip and his wife Diane of Roscoe PA and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks and tremendous gratitude to all the professionals that helped and touched Mitzi during her recovery phase at Sardis Oaks then later at her home, but especially Dr. Mark VanPoppel and Dr. Robert Bowen who gave us five additional years with our beloved mother. We wish to thank Father Jim Shea, SJ, who bestowed many blessings and the sacrament of the sick and last rites to our mother and comforted our mother and family during difficult and painful times. And, Ms. Teisha with Hospice Palliative Care who provided support and comfort to our mother and our family during mom’s final days on this earth.
Finally, the family wishes to sing the praises of Ms. Elaine Moraes for the tender, loving care she provided to our mother. She brought immeasurable joy, happiness and hope to our mother’s life, fighting the good fight alongside our mother to help her to resume some of the activities that she really enjoyed.
The family plans a requiem mass celebration of Mitzi’s life to be held at a later date.
On line condolences can be made in care of McEwen Funeral Home Pineville Chapel at www.mcewenpinevillechapel.
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