Esther L. Shriver, who loved home economics and history, died Thursday of heart failure at Carroll Hospital Center. The Union Mills resident was 77.
She was born Esther Schracengost in Rural Valley, Pa. She received a bachelor's degree in home economics from Pennsylvania State University in 1950 and was a member of the Delta Zeta Sorority. While in college, she met her future husband, James M. Shriver Jr. They married March 2, 1951, at St. Mary's Chapel in Westminster.
Mrs. Shriver first taught home economics to high school students in Pennsylvania, but she soon moved to Maryland and began teaching at Westminster High School, where she worked for about three years. She stopped teaching to start a family.
She volunteered for many years at Union Mills Homestead and later became the executive director, a position she held for 20 years. She was an avid fundraiser and also gave tours of the museum. After retirement, she continued doing volunteer work.
For years, she judged food and canned-goods entries at the Maryland State Fair, delighting in choosing the best cakes and other treats. She loved to cook, and prepared a baked ham with a secret glaze that her son called "excellent."
"She always thought it was important to have a balanced menu and to present food with a certain flair or creativity," said her son James M. Shriver III of Union Mills. Mrs. Shriver was a member of the Historical Society of Carroll County, St. John Roman Catholic Church and the hospital auxiliary in Westminster.
Funeral services were held yesterday.
In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by two daughters, Louise S. Moran of Towson and Nancy S. Christman of Richmond, Va.; another son, David M. Shriver of Union Mills; a sister, Frances Cutillo of Auburn, N.Y.; and 11 grandchildren.
