Mary Tunnicliff Schaub

Mary Tunnicliff Schaub died after a valiant fight against an aggressive cancer on October 31, 2023, in the Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center in Columbia, Maryland, at the age of eighty.

Mary was born November 24, 1942, in Moscow, Idaho, to Robert Joseph and Hazel Dell (Allen) Tunnicliff.  She graduated from Moscow High School in 1960 where she was active in school clubs and community organizations, becoming lifelong friends with many of her classmates, keeping in touch with them throughout the years.

Mary married the love of her life, Stephen Alexander Schaub, on May 29, 1965.  She and Steve moved to Rochester, New York, and later to Austin, Texas, where Steve attended graduate school.  After completing his PhD, Steve and Mary moved to Maryland where they lived until her death.

Mary loved being at home to raise her two children while they were young.  Once Jim and Danielle were on their own, Mary attended and graduated from Towson State University in 1988 with a degree in Business Administration.   She went on to have a twenty year career with the Department of Defense, retiring in 2010.

Mary and Steve were avid sailboat racers and loved racing their sailboat the “Contraire” on the Chesapeake Bay for thirty-eight years, where the racing team fondly called her “Boat Mom”.   She was an accomplished sailor and loved being on the water with her beloved friends.   

Mary and Steve loved traveling and enjoyed formal ocean cruises and chartered sailing in the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, South Pacific and Alaska.  They loved beach vacations and SCUBA diving, as being near water was special to them.   They had the opportunity to see much of the World together, including Israel, Australia, Fiji and other South Pacific Islands.  They took the children on many trips when they were young, passing on the joy of travel to them and later to their grandchildren.

Mary and Steve enjoyed visiting family and friends when they went to their ranch in Idaho.  During those visits, Mary operated the grain storage elevator during grain harvest and kept track of finances.   They especially enjoyed spending time with their daughter Danielle, son-in-law Bill and grandchildren, Billy and Shelby, as well as with Mary’s family in nearby Moscow, Idaho.

Along with a close group of friends in Maryland, they started a Gourmet Club, meeting to plan meals from around the World and then later to enjoy the cuisine they each prepared.   The friendships still remain throughout these years.

She is survived by husband Steve of Laurel, MD; daughter Danielle Schaub Hobbs, son-in-law Bill Hobbs and grandchildren Billy Hobbs, Shelby Hobbs of Lewiston, ID; daughter-in-law Leslie Schaub and granddaughter Brooklyn Myers of Thornton, CO; sister Susan Tunnicliff Edelblute of Boise, ID; and twelve nieces and nephews whom she loved fiercely.   Mary was preceded in death by their son James Lawrence Schaub and siblings William Allen Tunnicliff, Beth Tunnicliff Johnson and Robert Parker Tunnicliff.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) in Mary’s name.  (www.ocrahope.org)

Mary will be remembered by all who were blessed to know her as a fun, kind, loving and truly selfless person.  Her impish smile, sense of humor and love of family and friends will never be forgotten.  Just days before passing, Mary said “I’ve had the best life ever”.

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