Mary Katherine “Kaki” Reckard Abicht

Mary Katherine “Kaki” Reckard Abicht passed away on January 22, 2026, following a valiant battle with cancer. She was at home with her husband JB Abicht. Kaki was owner and operator of The Greenhouse in St. Marys, WV.

Kaki was born and raised in St.Marys, her beloved hometown. She was raised with community always in mind, as her parents and grandparents operated longtime successful businesses in downtown St. Marys. Her grandfather, Carl Shouldis, founded Shouldis’s Department Store which her father Jim Reckard would later manage. Her mother Barbara Shouldis Reckard was a beloved teacher at St. Mary’s High School for decades. Kaki would spend much of her young life with her family at Shouldis’, learning the retail business. Barbara and Jim would go on to also found the Greenhouse florist in 1977, along with Sam and Dottie White. Kaki continued as owner of The Greenhouse, a unique retail and floral shop, until her passing.

Kaki attended SMHS but graduated from US Senate Page school in Washington, DC as Chief Senate Page until 1981. During her tenure there, Kaki held and presented the electoral ballot box to the Senate officially handing them the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. After her time in DC, Kaki received her Bachelors Degree at Kenyon College in Ohio and then obtained her Masters Degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder. After she completed her education, she briefly lived in various spots around the country such as Greenwich Village, NY before she returned to St. Mary’s to operate The Greenhouse.

Kaki’s adoration for her hometown of St.Marys and home state of West Virginia was instilled in her from her parents and that adoration only grew with time. She ran her business and lived her life with that hometown love always at the forefront of everything she did. In the early days of The Greenhouse, Kaki saw firsthand the devastation of powerful grief after the Willow Island Power Plant disaster. Kaki was so often the person so many grieved with during the loss of loved ones, and she always believed that position of comforter to be sacred. She had extraordinary empathy and used that to offer kindness to any who needed it. Kaki also utilized that empathy to support and work with many organizations important to her such as SW Resources of Parkersburg, WV, the Sisters of St. Joseph, Parkersburg, WV and the Pleasants County Humane Society as well as many, many organizations in Pleasants County.

Kaki was a visionary and creative business owner who with her beloved Greenhouse Gang could tailor florals to speak to any occasion. She and the Gang fostered an environment at The Greenhouse that was kind and welcoming to all who visited. Kaki was a brilliant writer, a stunningly intelligent conversationalist and a consummate host. She loved music and wordplay and raucous laughter and relished camaraderie with her “tribe” as she would call those who surrounded her.

Kaki loved her friends and family just as she did with the many animals she rescued and took care of through the years. Most of all, she loved and cherished her stalwart husband JB and her precious fur babies, presently Allie and Mack.

Kaki is survived by JB, her loving husband of 13 years, her brothers Eric (Cathy) and Joe (Tammy), her nieces Cat Reckard, Bobbi Maroney, Erica Duke, Kati Whyred and a nephew Tom Reckard.

A celebration of life will be held in April to be announced at a later date. Ingram Funeral Home, St. Marys, WV is assisting the family with the arrangements. An online guest register is available at www.ingramfh.com. Kaki would want her final words to be, “shop small business and shop local.”