Mary Alison Anderson passed away at her Gainesville home, surrounded by her family, after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer on October 10, 2020. Mary was an amazing and remarkable wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and healthcare provider. She filled her life with laughter, adventure, and love for her many friends and family.  

Mary was born to Hilda and Jack Knoche on May 2, 1966 in Tampa, FL. She and her sister, Jolynn, grew up in Temple Terrace and attended King High School. She met her husband, Scott, in pharmacy school at the University of Florida and they were married on May 21, 1988. Mary and Scott graduated from the University of Florida with doctorate degrees in pharmacy and began work at the James Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa.  In just a few years they had two amazing children, Tyler and Amanda. They moved to Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville in 1994 and Mary quickly became a beloved member of her work, church, and neighborhood communities.   

Mary was a trusted leader in her nearly thirty-year career as a pharmacist at the VA Hospitals and she cared immensely about each of her coworkers and students. She was also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pharmacy for UF and received the Preceptor of the Year Award.  She was a dedicated and compassionate provider for her patients who always went above and beyond to improve each of their lives. She was also an involved member of her church and her community who cared strongly about making our planet a better place for the future. Mary was beloved by her many friends who appreciated her kindness, quick wit, and boundless supply of funny stories. She was a supportive, affectionate mother to her children, Tyler and Amanda, and always put their needs before her own.  Mary was glowingly proud of all of their many successes and their current careers as radiologist and dentist respectively. Mary was a devoted wife and best friend to her husband, Scott, and they enjoyed many years of love, laughter, and travel together. They were true soulmates, almost always together and missing each other when they were apart.  She was a dedicated daughter to her parents Jack and Hilda, and a loving big sister to her sister, Jolynn.  Mary was a special person who made a deep, lasting impact on everyone she met. We are so grateful for the incredible person she was to each one of us and thankful for the time that we had with her. 

Please feel free to share your memories of Mary here so that we can celebrate her life.

In lieu of flowers, we respectfully request that you make a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to help others fighting this illness. Please see information on this page to do that.

Mary's Celebration of Life service will be on Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 1pm at Grace at Fort Clarke United Methodist Church, 9325 W Newberry Rd, Gainesville, FL.