Mary Ann Henry

Welcome to an overview of a beautiful departed soul. Mary Ann Henry, 83, of Ft. Wright, was a champion of positivity and strength. She died March 26, 2026 of Congestive Heart Failure at Hospice of Cincinnati with Christ Hospital. She was a beloved mom, sister and friend.

She was born Mary Ann Scheper on October 23, 1942 in Covington, Kentucky. She lived a life of service, community and family. If you want to know more, see the stars below. Her daughter got a bit reminiscent.

Mary Ann was preceded in death by her devoted husband, Tom Henry, parents, George and Ruth Scheper, in-laws Ed & Helen Henry. She is survived by her amazing and supportive family, daughter, Susan McBride, son-in-law Charlie McBride, grandchildren Sean & Ian McBride, associate daughters Julie Helligrath and Pam Poindexter; her loving and devoted siblings George & Lyn Scheper, Charlie & Sharon Scheper, Fred and Geralyn Wichmann and Roger Doyle & Carol Floyd, many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. Long term bestie Merry Sivewright and newer bestie Joyce Boynar.

Services will be held at 2pm on Monday, March 30th at the South Hills Civic Club, 10 Bluegrass Ave., Ft. Wright, Ky 41011.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Wish of a Lifetime. They made it possible for Mary Ann to go to Alaska last year. She would love knowing it's being paid forward.

Special thanks to all the staff, doctors and nurses of The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio. They have been her rock through all her medical ups and downs for almost a decade.

To the staff, doctors and nurses on the 3rd floor of Christ Hospital and Hospice of Cincinnati, your care and compassion made this difficult time bearable. You embody Mary Ann's commitment to make a difference. Thank you.

**** And now for the really good parts. In no particular order.

She was a lover of having her hair brushed, even as a child, she'd happily sit in front of you for as long as you were willing. This is saying a lot since sitting still was a great way to get her to nap. For her to see a movie all the way through might take a few tries.

An avid gadget collector, she tried out many new tools. So she figured out how to make it better but if it withstood her review and she liked it, you were likely to receive one the next time you saw her. She was especially fond of flashlights.

Got dominoes? Farkle? A good puzzle? Rummikib or cards? She was "game" to play. You say "Mary Ann do you want to play..." It was yes. And oh my goodness, BINGO was her game-o.

As part dragon, anything that had bling was fair game - from jewelry, clothes, her walker, even her car had sparkle to it. You could definitely distract her with the "ooh shiny"!

She had a brilliant mind that yearned to figure out the best way to create, modify, and optimize any situation or product from household repairs, project management at Cincinnati Bell, how to organize a drawer, closet, suitcase or her endless paperwork.

In the pursuit of perfect organization, she was a connoisseur of the art of plastic storage. She had the bins, boxes and Ziploc bags of a true collector. Need a bag for your meds, band-aids, cords, business cards, shirts, jackets, etc? She had it.

Need help with technology? She was the go to fixer and teacher to her friends and neighbors, especially during her adventures in Venice, Florida. She even taught her husband Tom how to turn on a computer. Not sure if he ever really appreciated that lesson.

While she may not have been a smart ass aficionado, she learned some self defense skills because of her husband and daughter. Her response, most of the time, was her perfected raspberry.

As the oldest of five mostly well behaved children, she was "the Boss". In later years, after becoming a mother of a teenager, she was promoted to "She who must be obeyed". She proudly flouted a sweatshirt with her new title. Speaking of sweatshirts, another favorite was "Sometimes I wake up grumpy, other days I let him sleep in". Tom appreciated those extra snoozes enough to proudly wear a matching "Grumpy" shirt.

As someone known to get up before dawn to sweep the streets and wake up the birds, she didn't like to sit around much. Always too much to do. When she moved into a house her husband bought sight unseen, she spent the first few years of her marriage renovating the near 100 year old house and beating it into the shape she wanted. She found a lot of joy in scraping layers of paint off baseboards. It could've been the fumes or just the sense of accomplishment, but she loved having an old coffee can in one hand and a scraper in the other. She even moved on to refurbishing a piano and an old wardrobe from The Cincinnatian. She always loved having a good project to tackle.

Mary Ann had mad friendship skills. From late night calls, random pick me ups, advice, hugs and a compassionate ear. She was there for you and probably gave you something she picked out that you could use.

Not always her best trait, but she'd help you speak "correct" English. She also had spelling skills that her child didn't inherit. She loved words of the day and word finds. She enjoyed reading and got a particular thrill when a family friend, Austin Camacho, asked her to read one of his books to catch things he may have missed.

Marrying a man who loved to drive, she shared many road trips across the country. Trips out west with John Denver on the 8 track, then cassette and finally CD. Singing at the top of our lungs. She was always trying to catch up to Tom's "Did you see that?" With her "See what?". No one was a better scat guide. That's right, she knew her shit.

Her two most favorite spots to shop were McAlpin's in downtown Cincinnati. Which went out of business soon after she started working from home. The other was Cracker Barrel. It was never about the food. It was always about the seasonal Cracker Barrel sweatshirts.

She was a hero both figuratively and literally. When she was a teenager she saved her siblings when their house caught on fire. In the 80's she saved a person from suffocating at a restaurant. She saved people every day by listening, advising and providing and teaching meditation.

She loved the serenity and peace of the outdoors from sitting on the deck and watching sheep with Roger and Carol, enjoying Susan's backyard or on top of a mountain in Alaska. She found beauty in the big and the small.

Her biggest gift was that of service and faith. She believed everyone had a purpose and a responsibility to make a difference. She led by example with her many volunteer positions, including the Red Cross, and always finding a way to give back.

"Make a difference & smile while doing it.". - Mary Ann Henry March 2026