Mary Shuffler was born December 24, 1938 in Erath County, Texas in the front bedroom of the Hendrick Home Place.   The Hendrick Home is now a Historical Site as it has been a working farm for over 100 years.  Mary lived there until she was 18 years old when she moved to Dallas to find employment.  In Dallas, Mary worked for an insurance company until she met her future husband, Richard, in September 1957.

Richard and Mary married in June of 1958 and moved to Tyler, Texas.  They relocated back to the Dallas area settling in Mesquite in November 1968.  They live there to this day.  Mary and Richard are very proud of their family which consists of two sons, and 5 GRAND children.   The couple just recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Mary kept children in her home for local school teachers for 20 years.  She always loves to hear about her “children” and what wonderful adults they have become.  Town East Baptist is Mary’s church home where she plays the organ and piano and also enjoys working with the Preschool Choir.  Mary started the Sunshine School (Preschool) in February 1982 and it remains a thriving preschool for Mesquite children.

In the summer of 1989, Mary started working with Metroplex Gymnastics in 1989.  Metroplex Mesquite soon became the first ASI Gymnastics.  Mary has been with ASI since its inception and is the longest tenured employee of the company.

Mary continues to teach preschool and beginning gymnasts at the ASI Mesquite location where she is a much loved coach and co-worker.   Mary counts thousands of families, children and young adults as her current and former students.  If you see a family with a child on the streets of Mesquite, chances are very high that they “know Ms. Mary”.

Ms. Mary also serves as a trainer for coaches learning how to relate to young children and excels in child psychology and discipline.  She has lead dozens of training sessions over the years.   

Perhaps Ms. Mary’s greatest gift is her ability to relate to children with special needs.  She has worked with severally impaired children using unique techniques to retrain verbal skills, communication skills, and physical skills.  

Ms. Mary is a role model to all coaches in the ASI family and her record of sustained accomplishment will never be matched.  For that and all previously mentioned above as well as personal stories too numerous to scribe, she is most deserving of the highest praise she can receive while on this earth.

Congratulations, Ms. Mary.

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