Obituary of Mae Evelyn Tawoda

Our Mom, Nana, Great-Nana Mae, Sister and Auntie, Mae Evelyn (Pierucci) Tawoda, age 92, a resident of Quail Park at Morrison Ranch, Gilbert, Arizona, succumbed after a brave battle with stage IV cancer on Monday, April 26, 2021. Mae was born to the late Evelyn (Scipione) and Percy Pierucci on March 18, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a young girl, Mae learned the piano and developed a beautiful singing voice that she fostered her whole life. She met her future husband, Bob, in 1949 while attending Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania where she graduated with a B.S. in Biology and utilized her degree by working in labs throughout her life. She and Bob married in 1950 and Bob, who was a career Army officer, created a new career for Mae, becoming a very successful military wife and homemaker. Their travels took them to Colorado, Germany, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Philippines, Virginia, and Maryland. In Maryland, their church home was Oaklands Presbyterian Church in Laurel, MD where she was able to tap into her talents on the stage and being a director, by helping to create the theater group there and Bob as her handy dandy stage building dude! What a team they were! Eventually, Bob retired both military and civilian careers and it took them to Delaware for 10 years and then Lakeside, Arizona in 2004! Bob and Mae were married 55 years until Bob"s death in 2006. Mae was a very active community volunteer, working in the local hospital of the mountainous area of Pinetop/Lakeside. She absolutely loved flowers all her life and created flower arrangements for the hospital gift shop that were in constant demand. She always said that her love of family, as well as extended family, was everything to her and she kept us all tied together. She would make friends wherever she would roam as her spirit and energy were contagious! There will be a hole in the hearts of so many not to have her at the end of a phone line or around the corner to hug. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Robert J. Tawoda; sister, Barbara Seymour. She is survived by son, Robert C. Tawoda (Monica); daughter, Cathleen Sadowski (Charles); daughter, Leanne Tawoda; daughter, Janette Wiedel (Kirk); daughter, Elizabeth Skelnik (Jim); and sister, Virginia Pierucci Lambo; 11 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and many friends and other relatives.