Mary Katherine (Eckel) Shane passed away March 21, 2022. She was born Sept. 23, 1925.
Mary Kate was a remarkable, civic-minded person, who was devoted to her family, community, her beloved New York state. She was born to Jacob and Rhea Eckel (Clark) and raised in Solvay with her three siblings. She married Clifford John Shane in Skaneateles in June 1953 and settled there to raise their four children. She started her professional career in the late 1940s as an instructor in the Sociology Department at Syracuse University and later as the executive director of United Cerebral Palsy Association of San Francisco. She joined the teaching staff in the Skaneateles Central School (SCS) District in 1967 and later became a SCS High School Guidance Counselor from 1970 until 1985.
She valued education for herself and others. Mary Kate received her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University in 1946 and then enrolled in a summer program at Oxford University in England. She returned to New York state to attend a graduate program in guidance education at Cornell, where she completed her master’s degree in 1948. She later returned to her graduate studies working toward an Ed.D. degree.
Mary Kate was an active volunteer but more importantly, she helped make the vision of others a reality. Her numerous accomplishments earned her the Post Standard Woman of Achievement in Volunteer Service award in 1963. She helped to create the Skaneateles Mothers Club and Nursery School in the early 1950s and then decades later, she was a founding member of the Laker Limo service, helping seniors and those with disabilities in need of accessible transportation. She rose through the ranks of local non-profits into leadership positions, becoming the Junior League president (1963-65), vice chair of the Volunteer Center of Onondaga County (1964-66), chair of the Onondaga County Youth Board (1983), and chair of the Metropolitan Commission on Aging (1990-1998). She also served as the chair of the NYS Governor’s Advisory Committee on Aging (1995 – 2005), following in the footsteps of her mother Rhea Eckel Clark.
Deciding in 1975 that she could best serve her community by becoming a member of the village board, Mary Kate ran for office, won several terms and served in that capacity until March 1981. During that time, the village leadership faced challenges around water quality and wastewater treatment, so she leaned in and learned about those key environmental issues.
In her free time, she enjoyed spending time with family and friends and volunteering. She was an expert knitter and avid reader, frequenting the library and swapping novels with friends. She has an active member and leader in the Skaneateles Leisure Hour, a women’s study group started in 1892, and her book club.
As a devout Catholic, she was particularly honored to hear Pope John Paul II speak at Trinity College (Washington, DC), along with her mother, in 1979. She was a member of St. Mary’s of the Lake Catholic Church in Skaneateles for nearly seven decades.
She was predeceased by Cliff, her husband of 59 years, and her son-in-law Robert Carey. She is survived by her four children (Kathryn, Susan, Betsy and John), three in-laws (Kevin, Charlie and Jennifer), and her six grandchildren (Shane, Christina, Kate, Graham, Erick and CJ).
A celebration of life ceremony will be held at a later date at St. Mary’s Church. Notice of the event will be publicized once a date has been selected.
In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the Laker Limo, a local nonprofit that she loved. You can reach out to their website at Laker Transportation Project | A Spirited Community Project (wordpress.com) or mail a donation to PO Box 644, Skaneateles, NY 13152. Notes to the family can be sent to 1 Wicklow Drive, Skaneateles, NY 13152.
To send condolences, visit robertdgrayfuneralhome.com.
