Marylee Hershberger

MaryLee Hershberger, 83

MaryLee Hershberger, 83 of Ocala, FL, died December 6, 2020, after a short bout with COVID-19. A celebration of life is planned around her birthday next year.

MaryLee was born March 12, 1937, in Goshen, Indiana to Eugene Barron and Violet Wagner. She met her husband Floyd Hershberger of 64 years in Goshen, and they were married on July 28, 1956 at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Floyd and MaryLee moved to Florida in 1957. They made their home in Ocala in 1967, and became the proud owners of B-J Trophies on North Magnolia Avenue in 1977.

She was an active member of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church; she was a Cursillista. She was a founding member of the North Magnolia Business District, a founding member of the Marion Art League, and a member of the Portrait Society of America. As co-owner of B-J Trophies, she was a proud member of the Recognition Roundtable.

MaryLee loved art and enjoyed painting, particularly producing portraits, animals and landscapes. She is widely recognized for her pen and ink work having created commissioned renderings of the Ocala Civic Theatre, 8th Street Elementary School, and many other businesses and homes throughout Ocala/Marion County.

If you knew MaryLee, you knew she lived a life full of passion and love. She’d greet you with a big smile and hug. If you didn’t know her, she’d still greet you with a great smile, and by the second time you met, you were likely to be hugged. You quickly knew that she loved her family, liked to drive fast, and enjoyed a good cup of coffee. She is preceded in death by her parents, and a daughter Ann Elizabeth. She will be greatly missed by her husband Floyd; her children and their spouses, Mark and Carlynne, Leigh, Glenn and Elizabeth, Brian and Tracy; her grandchildren and their spouses, Aaron and Becca, Christopher, Sarah and Hector Rivera, Allie, Sean, Isaac, Jaron, Barbra, MaryLee; her great- grandchildren, Maxine, Harlen, Mila, Scarlett; her sisters Jeri Cripe and Kathy Pflueger; and many more family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to WearGloves.org or the Marion Cultural Alliance (MCAOcala.org).