Mary Jo Jurasin

Mary Jo was born in Denver, Colorado as the only child of Florence Oldfield and Homer Henry. Her father Homer died when Mary Jo was quite young, about three years old, and Florence remarried Kenny Coombs and the two raised Mary Jo in Denver and preceded her in death. Andrew and Mary Jo were married on April 1, 1953 and had 71 happily married years together. Mary Jo is survived by her husband Andrew, her daughter Tamera Schmitt and her husband Barry; her son Gregory Jurasin and his wife Laura, her son-in-law Steve Vasek and her much-loved grandchildren and great grandchildren including grandson Stephen Vasek and his wife Lindsey and their children Addie and Drake; her granddaughter Kristie Vasek, her grandson Brian Schmitt and his daughter McKenzie, and her grandson Kyle Schmitt and his wife Karly and their children Berkley and Beckett. Her daughter Lisa Vasek preceded her in death and passed away on May 13, 2021.

She attended East High school from 1947 -1951 and met Andrew when she was a senior in high school and he was attending Colorado School of Mines. They began dating, however after graduating high school, she attended William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri for one year. When she returned from college after her freshman year, she began dating Andrew once again, and the two were married on April 1, 1953.

After they were married, they moved quite often as a result of Andrew’s service in the Army and employment by oil companies. They lived in Colorado, Virginia, Wyoming, Montana, North Carolina, California and Texas twice. During this time they raised their three children and would take vacations back to Denver and Chicago to visit their parents along with camping trips to many national parks and forests throughout the southwestern United States. Mary Jo was a stay-at-home Mom and devoted her life to the welfare of her family.

She was an excellent cook long before microwaves and frozen dinners. She always provided great home cooked meals every evening which usually included some type of salad. There were however, always some kind of cookies in the cupboards!

She was a beauty, and always kept herself looking fantastic, from her head to her toes and to her gorgeous fingernails! After their children were out of the house and on their own, Mary Jo and Andrew moved to Scottsdale Arizona to enjoy retirement. They traveled throughout the United States and internationally, planning their own trips or going on preplanned tours. They took several cruises and also were able to visit their relatives in Croatia several times. Although they loved their life in Scottsdale, eventually they decided to move back to Texas to be closer to their children. In January of 2009, they moved into their new home in The Woodlands that they had been building. Eventually wanting to get rid of home and lawn maintenance, they decided in September of 2018 to move to a senior community, The Village at the Waterway. There they enjoyed meeting new friends and experiencing a social life that included happy hours, dinners together and special activities.

After experiencing a fall, Mary Jo encountered several health challenges that included hospitalizations, stints in rehab centers, and surgeries that led to her decline in strength and health. She moved to a facility where she was able to receive more full-time care. Andrew would visit her every day for 3-4 hours a day and call her on the phone multiple times a day. These daily visits spanned the course of over two years. In spite of her failing health and having to live apart from Andrew, she never complained and always just wanted to be able to move back with him to their apartment.

Mary Jo and Andrew were blessed with 71 happy years together and they were able to share a full and amazing life together and watch their family grow over the years. She will be loved and missed by all of her family and all those who knew her.

For those desiring, in lieu of usual remembrances, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.