NEW BERLIN – Mary Louise Booth, 70, of New Berlin, passed away peacefully at the home of her loving Family Care Providers, the Thompsons, on Sept. 14, 2007. 
She was born on Sept. 21, 1936 at Cortland Memorial Hospital the daughter of the late Ernest, a dairy farmer who died in 1944, and Mary (Turner) Booth, a teacher in the Homer Central School District for 26 years and who died in 1988.
Mary’s early childhood was spent on the Booth Farm in Locke. On June 2, 1946 Mary went to the Rome State School for persons with developmental disabilities.  By age 21 Mary started living in Family Care Homes in Vernon Center, Greene, Smithville Flats, and New Berlin.  Mary lived in these loving Family Care Homes for nearly 50 years.  However, Mary always enjoyed returning to her mother’s home for visits and vacations while her mother was still alive.  From 1970 through this year Mary very much enjoyed attending summer camp at Camp Bayouca in Marathon.  She was baptized on May 25, 1969 in the Berean Baptist Church in New Berlin.
With no formal training, Mary played piano by ear from early childhood and routinely played for groups at church and at program.  When meeting people for the first time, Mary would usually ask their birth date and then tell them what day of the week they were born on and what day their birthday would fall on next. 
Mary was active in her community and enjoyed interacting with her many friends at the Chenango ARC Day Habilitation Program and The Club, sponsored through the Chenango County Continuing Day Treatment program.  Mary received great care and comfort at the end of her life through the Hospice and Palliative Care of Chenango County program.
She is survived by her sister, Barbara Booth Scott and her brother-in-law, Robert Scott of Weaverville, N.C.; her nephew Ted Scott and wife Marina, niece Wendy Scott Rogers and husband Richard al of Germantown, Tenn.  Her great-nieces and nephews, Darby, Kinley and Nealy Scott, and Trevor Ramsey and Sara Rogers also survive.  Her surviving cousins are William Spencer of Cortland, Edward Spencer of Ventura, Calif., Marjorie Smith Aldrich of Cortland, Jane Smith Day of Dryden, Clifford Smith of Harrisonburg, Va., Ruth Smith Krull of Naples, Fla., and William Smith of Albuquerque, N.M.
Mary had most recently been residing with and cared for by Bridgette, Tracy, Kim and Kyle Thompson in their Family Care Home in New Berlin.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the Berean Baptist Church in New Berlin with the Rev. Gary Folz, pastor officiating. Committal services will be held in the Booth-Taylor plot in Evergreen Cemetery in Spencer at 3 p.m. Tuesday. 
Arrangements are being provided by the Behe Funeral Home, 21 Main St., Oxford.