Mary Jane Ball

Mary Jane was born on September 17, 1918 in Watertown, New York to Leo Patrick and Sabine Elizabeth (Brown) Redmond. Mary Jane and her younger sister, Sallie, grew up in the family house on State Street, enjoying the summers and enduring the long, snowy winters of upstate New York. In the winter, Mary Jane and Sallie loved skating on the frozen pond, sledding, skiing and sleigh rides. Summer meant visits to Aunt Anne and Aunt Frances Redmond on their farm in Kingston near the Redmond family homestead in Canada and vacations with all the cousins on Howe Island in the St Lawrence River. Mary Jane went to Holy Family High School and Immaculate Heart Academy, graduating in 1935 and then attending the Watertown School of Commerce and Queens University in Kingston, Canada. Following her education, Mary Jane worked as Hospital Records Librarian at Mercy Hospital, then at Fort Drum, N.Y, and eventually in the Office of Censorship in Miami, FL. Despite the ongoing tensions of World War II, her time in Florida was an adventure shared with her girlfriends enjoying the exciting new world of Miami Beach in the 1940's. Before the end of the war, Mary Jane was transferred to California and lived at The Evangeline Residence for Young Businesswomen in San Francisco and worked for the War Shipping Administration at Fort Mason. There she met her future husband, William James Ball, a captain in the U.S. Army and a maritime lawyer at Thacher, Jones & Casey in the city. They dined and danced at the Officer's Club, loved going to the Italian restaurants in North Beach, featuring opera stars and bocci ball, and taking full advantage of the great old San Francisco nightlife. After a year of courtship, they were married on October 15, 1945 at Pine Camp Chapel in New York with family in attendance. Returning to California after a honeymoon in New York City and Washington D.C., Mary Jane and Bill lived for three years on Jackson Street in San Francisco, bringing home their first baby, Mary Nan, in 1948, and their son, William Patrick in 1950. Bill became a partner at Thacher, Jones, Casey & Ball, and the family moved across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County, living first in Corte Madera and then in San Rafael. Mary Jane raised the children and joined the PTA, the National Council of Catholic Women, and the St. Raphael's Guitar Group that played at the weekly Sunday folk mass. A talented artist, she also took art classes and created a considerable portfolio of drawings and paintings in pastels, watercolors and oils. In 1970, Bill died suddenly. Mary Jane then went to work for the County of Marin at the newly built Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center. Eventually, she moved to Burlingame to be near her mother, her sister Sallie, and her daughter. While working at Peninsula Hospital, she met new friends and travel buddies with whom she took trips to all corners of the world. In the early 80's, Mary Jane decided to move south to Laguna Hills, CA where some of her cousins from Watertown had settled. It was warm and sunny there, and she created a lovely, colorful patio garden at her apartment in the senior community. She had always loved the brilliant blue skies of California, and her years down south were full of sunny days and activities with friends and cousins. For visits and holidays, she would drive up Highway 101 to Northern California in her Toyota. In 1991, Mary Jane returned to Northern California to take up residence at The Sequoias in Portola Valley, where she spent the next twenty-five years. Her patio was always filled with brightly colored flowers and, as usual, she enjoyed new and old friends and more travel. During those years she was able to see her children and grandchildren regularly and to watch her GREAT grandchildren grow up. Mary Jane died at the age of 98. She was remembered at a private family gathering that was held at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in San Rafael, where Mary Jane was interred next to her husband, William James Ball. She had written and illustrated journals that chronicled her life from her school years to her last years. Her family read many of these reminiscences as she was laid to rest at the top of the hill overlooking the hills of Marin. Mary Jane (Redmond) Ball is survived by her sister Sallie O'Brien of Burlingame, daughter Nan (Bill) Nagle of Woodside, son Patrick (Susan) Ball of Sebastopol, granddaughters Emily Nagle Griffin (Mark) of Nashville, TN, Fiona Rowan Ball of London, England, grandson William Patrick Nagle of Whitefish, MT, and great granddaughters Mary Elizabeth Griffin, Anne Redmond Griffin and Margaret Catherine Griffin of Nashville.