Mary Jo Uppendahl

Mrs. Mary Jo Webster Uppendahl, a longtime Scituate resident, passed away peacefully on the morning of August 26, 2020 at the age of 91. She was the beloved wife of the late Donald Dean Uppendahl, with whom she shared 66 years of devoted marriage before his passing in 2015.

She was born May 31, 1929 in Scott City, Kansas to the late Leo Ignacious Donley Webster and Alice May Shearmire Webster. Mary Jo was predeceased by her siblings Audra Downs, Rowena Scott, Winona Squires, Juanita Blackwell, Herschel Webster and Darrell Lee Webster.

Mary Jo was the devoted mother of Cynthia Uppendahl Marsh and her husband Jim of Andover and Chatham, Mark Scott Uppendahl and his wife Joan of South Yarmouth and Laura Jo Uppendahl.

She was the cherished grandmother of Alexander Marsh and his fiancée Lianne Sheffy, Lauren Powers and her husband Rob Powers, Scott Sanborn, Randall Sanborn and his wife Amy, Christopher Sanborn, Kevin Sanborn and his wife Becky and Claudia Jo Uppendahl. Mary Jo was also the proud great grandmother of Cadence, Nate and Cassidy Sanborn.

Mary Jo is also survived by her brother Russell Webster and her sister-in-law Shirley Uppendahl Eaton both of Kansas.

Mary Jo graduated from Scott City Community High School in Scott City, Kansas as Salutatorian of her Class of 1947. She attended the University of Kansas.

Mary Jo moved east with her family to Scituate in 1956 where she enjoyed being a devoted supporter of her children. She led her daughter’s Girl Scouts troop. Mary Jo and Don delighted in attending swim meets and tennis matches and took pleasure in travelling to all their son’s college football games. She was involved in several music and a cappella groups, played team tennis and bridge and loved gardening. Mary Jo also enjoyed the arts and learned the craft of Nantucket basket making. She loved sailing out of Scituate Harbor and travelling with her husband, Don.

Mary Jo and Don were beautiful partners on the dance floor and have now been reunited to continue their dance.

There will be a family gathering in celebration of Mary Jo’s life at the Memorial Garden at the First Trinitarian Congregational Church in Scituate. Mrs. Uppendahl will be laid to rest beside her late husband.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her memory to the Macular Degeneration Research, A BrightFocus Foundation Program, 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871 or American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 15829, Arlington, VA 22215.