A Profile

Founding and Life Member, Sister Mary DePazzi, was born March 29, 1916, to Howard and Veronica Shane, in Jamestown, Ohio. After attending grade school, she transferred to Notre Dame Academy in Covington, Kentucky, and, after graduation, entered the Notre Dame Order in 1935. Sister took her vows in 1937.

Her first service was a Notre Dame House in Aurora, Illinois. After 5 months there, she returned to Cincinnati, working at the St. Aloysius Orphanage. She was Group Mother and substitute teacher to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade boys, and eventually taught Tom Mounce’s father and uncle. After 8 years at St. Aloysius and a year at Covington Cathedral, she transferred to a Winnebago Indian Reservation School in Nebraska, which served about 60 girls.

After her service in Nebraska, she returned to St. Aloysius, where she served for 24 years. As her eyesight started to fail, she joined, and was one of the founders of Radio Reading Services for the Blind. She served on the Local and State Boards in Columbus. She was also an early participant in "Everybody Counts", a program introducing young people with diminishing eyesight and handicaps to understand life experiences.

How did this servant of God (with a great sense of humor) get interested in Bonsai? Someone gave her a tree, and with some contact with Frank Mahylic and Dr. Aaron Perlman, she started meeting with Bonsai people, who, in 1964, were just then forming the Society.

The first meetings were held in the basement of the Krohn Conservatory around 1966, but, in 1968, after a scare because of some nasty goings-on in the area, she invited the group to St. Aloysius Orphanage. The Bonsai Society of Greater Cincinnati moved to the Civic Garden Center around 1974. Sister served two terms as President, from 1977 to 1979, and on all the committees, including the refreshments. She is regularly a hostess for the Spring and Fall Bonsai Shows.

Now, in her 84th year, she decided to downsize her extensive Bonsai collection, and has donated a substantial portion to the Bonsai Society. Several of her trees have been donated to the permanent Krohn Conservatory Bonsai Collection. She donates many materials to the annual White Elephant Sale.

Sister Mary DePazzi feels God had plans for her that would make a change in her life. One of them was her introduction to Bonsai, and the hundreds of friends she has made, here and around the country. We are delighted that God brought her to us.