- Mary Jo was born at the Smeltermen’s Hospital in Tooele, Utah, in 1950, to Mary Grace and George St. Clair Jackson. She was raised in Tooele and attended Harris Elementary, Tooele Junior High, Tooele Ninth Grade School (which only existed for one year) and Tooele High School. She was in the Mixed Chorus, was a Sha-Ronn, and loved performing in high school musical reviews. She was a four-year seminary graduate and at 16 was the ward organist. She took dance lessons from Dorothy Searle and piano and organ lessons from Dan Whitehouse. She walked to the public library every week and enjoyed reading.
She graduated from BYU in 1972, and began her teaching career in Salt Lake City at Forest and Indian Hills Elementary Schools. She looked forward to summer vacations so she could travel and especially loved tours to Europe. She did volunteer work at the Rape Crisis Center (now the Rape Recovery Center). She enrolled at the University of Utah to obtain a master’s degree which explains how she cold root for both BYU and Utah. She met the love of their life, Charles Dickens Alexander, in Salt Lake. While engaged and making plans, they decided to marry early and secretly eloped to Elko, Nevada, and were married March 14, 1979. They went through with plans and were married again in Salt Lake City on June 1, 1979. The marriage was later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple.
Their daughter, Mary Ellen, was born in 1980. Mary Jo says her happiest years were being a stay-at-home mom. Four of those years were spent in Redwood City and Burlingame, California. When Mary Ellen began first grade, Mary Jo returned to teaching… this time in Tooele. She taught at Harris, Central, Northlake, and Middle Canyon Elementary Schools. Her husband, Charlie, passed away on New Year’s Eve in 2000. She retired after teaching for 37 years.
She enjoyed performing arts and attended many operas, ballets, symphonies, and performed in community productions. Another love was Ophir. She was part of the historical district group and took people on tours of the restored buildings. She loved learning about the pioneers and was proud to be a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, with a handcart pioneer on both sides of her family. She always loved reading and at one point was in three different book clubs at the same time.
She has been active in the LDS church, most currently serving as the ward organist, Salt Lake Temple organist, and family history consultant.
After retiring, she volunteered at the Tooele County Detention Center and at the Family History Center, teaching indexing. She hopes that when she meets her ancestors, their faces will not show disappointment but will be filled with gratitude.
Mary Jo passed away peacefully at her home Aug. 4, 2021. She is survived by her step-daughter Sharon Dorrans and her husband Richard; her daughter Mary Ellen Alexander and her partner Anthony Best; her four step-grandchildren Patsy Jean, Eliza, and Richard and Harold Martin; her brother James Carl Jackson and his wife Dorothy; and many cousins who are as close as siblings.
She requested no funeral. There will be a graveside service at the Tooele City Cemetery, Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m., with an open visitation beforehand from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at the LDS building, 777 Skyline Dr, Tooele. A luncheon will be held after all proceedings at the same LDS building. Where practical, masks at indoor activities are encouraged for the safety of all of our loved ones.
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Om slægterne Brændgaard & Heilesen
1950 - 2021 (70 år)
Nekrolog