Mary Alice McClendon (nee Cupit) passed peacefully at home on September 9, 2026, at the age of 89. Mary Alice was born in New York but lived all her young life in Oklahoma. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma and later acquired her Master of Fine Arts from George Washington University in Washington DC.
She and her husband, the late Doyle B. McClendon retired to Florida in 1985. They lived first on Tierra Verde and later in downtown St. Petersburg. Mary Alice was predeceased by her children, William “George” and Elizabeth. Both McClendon’s were very philanthropic, giving funds to start the St. Petersburg Opera Company and donating heavily to the Museum of Fine Arts.
Friends and family will remember her for her good nature and sportsmanship on the tennis court and elsewhere.
As a lifelong Episcopalian, a service will held on October 26, 2026 at 2pm with a reception following, celebrating Mary Alice at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter located at 140 4th Street N. St. Petersburg. FL 33701.
