Mary Alice Welsh Sheldon, 84, of Hackettstown, NJ passed away peacefully with her family by her side on December 2, 2018.

Mary Alice was born on August 30,1934 in Hackettstown, NJ to the late James Joseph and Alice Washer Welsh. She married her beloved husband, Arthur “Gaylord” Sheldon, on September 4, 1954.

As a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Mary Alice focused much of her life and energy on their Sharp Street home, which remained a family headquarters and social center for more than 50 years. It was with tireless work that she and her husband Art built this safe oasis that became the warmest and most welcoming sanctuary to four generations of their family. She kept the Sharp Street home well stocked with candy from her hometown M&M’s and, if someone’s favorite snack wasn’t found in the kitchen cabinet, it’s availability on the next visit was nothing short of guaranteed. Outside the home, she worked with various local businesses in Hackettstown, but her longest tenure was with the Hackettstown High School cafeteria. It was there where she spent many years because she knew it would allow her to greet her children when they arrived home at the end of their day.

Children, both in and out of her family, had the ability to make Mary Alice light up like a house decorated for the holidays. To this end, she served as a member of the Hackettstown PTA and, after learning what few sport options were available for girls in the community, was highly instrumental in establishing the Hackettstown Recreation Girl’s and Women’s Softball Leagues where she also volunteered her time as a coach. A lifelong resident of Hackettstown, she was always working to make the town she loved a better place for all as a member of both the Hackettstown Rescue Squad Auxiliary and the Hackettstown Women’s Club. In retirement, she was was a key member of the Harper’s Bagel and Bakery Social Club, which met daily in the morning to discuss local and world issues. Many days, those conversations poured into a lunch meeting at Mama’s Restaurant and Cafe Baci. The close bonds she formed with the patrons and workers of these local establishments are just a few examples of Mary Alice’s ability to form close connections with others that extended years and, in many instances, decades.

She is survived by her two daughters: Peg Sheldon Russack and her husband Doug, and Patty Kitt, her companion Robert Andreotta and her two sons; James Sheldon and his wife Margaret, and Scott Sheldon and his companion Debra Margretta; three grandchildren, James and his wife Cherise, Erin and her husband, J.D., and Andrew and his companion Sam DeGennaro; two great grandchildren, Sullivan and Lila. She is also survived by two brothers, Thomas Welsh and his wife, Lisa, William Welsh and his wife, Donna, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, her parents, her brother James Welsh, and her great-grandson, Arthur Gordon “Sonny” Hendershot.

Family and friends may pay their respects on Saturday, December 8, 2018 from 11AM-12PM at the Cochran Funeral Home, 905 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840. A memorial service celebrating Mary Alice’s life will follow immediately at 12PM at the funeral home, along with the interment at Hackettstown Union Cemetery Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made in Mary Alice’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, P.O. Box 1000 Dept. 142 Memphis, TN 38148-0142 https://www.stjude.org/give/memorials-and-dedications.html, or The Market Street Mission, 9 Market Street, Morristown, NJ 07960

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Cochran Funeral Home. To send an online condolence please visit http://www.cochranfuneral.com.