Mary H. Shumpert, 107, love of Corvettes never dimmed
January 24, 2022
Mary Shumpert never forgot that 1961 Corvette convertible. Even the Mercedes E 350 that she got when she turned 100 just couldn’t compare, although it did have a back seat for the great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Shumpert kept her driver’s license until she was 104. She died Jan. 24 at her home in Heritage Plantation. She was 107.
Mary Hughes Shumpert was born Oct. 19, 1914, in Columbia, the daughter of Joseph and Florence Hiller Hughes. She was a 1934 graduate of Columbia High School and attended the University of South Carolina. She and her husband, Julius Cleveland Shumpert, owned and operated the Columbia Grill on Hampton Street for 27 years, starting in 1945. Mrs. Shumpert was a talented baker and one of her greatest enjoyments in life was making cakes for family and friends.
The Shumperts bought their first Corvette in 1960, but traded in the standard-shift model for an automatic in 1961. The couple would take road trips to Las Vegas several times a year to take in the shows.
Mr. Shumpert died in 1987. Mrs. Shumpert sold the Corvette in 1999, but carried around a photo to show people. “That’s what I used to look like and this is the car I used to have,” she would tell them.
After she got the Mercedes in 2014, she enjoyed driving around with the top down and the music turned up, accompanied by her daughter, Suzanne Harris.
Mrs. Shumpert was an active member of Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church and volunteered at Father Pat’s Kitchen.
Mrs. Shumpert explained the key to long life in a 2019 interview: “Be nice to everybody, and appreciative.”
In addition to her daughter, she is survived by her grandson, Scott Swygert (Kristin); her great-grandsons, Archer and Jackson Swygert; and her nieces, Mary Katherine Taber (Bill), Frances Hughes, Charlene Henry (Dale), and Diana Tillery (Cameron).
Her siblings and a sister-in-law, Francis Hughes (Hester), Charles Hughes (Kitty), Joseph Hughes Jr., Paul Hughes (Flossie) and Evelyn Gilbert, died before her, as did a niece, Claire Pilcher, and her golden retriever, Pawley Girl.
A graveside service was held Jan. 27 at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Columbia. A memorial service will be held April 30 at 1 p.m. at Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church. For more information about the service, contact her daughter at suzannesharris@yahoo.com.
Memorials may be made to the Basilica of Saint Peter or to Shandon UMC Building Fund.
Condolences may be sent at dunbarfunerals.com.
