Mary Jo Campbell

Mary Jo Campbell, 79, of Indianapolis, passed away on June 22, 2026. She was born on December 9, 1946 to Margaret (Healy) and John H. Steuernagel in St. Louis, Missouri, and was raised in East St. Louis and Belleville, Illinois.

A daughter of educators, Mary Jo received a bachelor’s degree in education from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She completed her student teaching at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, and then continued her education at Purdue University, where she earned a master’s degree in education (focusing on audio/visual media that was just becoming popular in schools at the time). No doubt that this was the source of her meticulous organizational skills and attention to detail.

Mary Jo met William “Bill” Campbell on a blind date at a Purdue football game, and the couple married in 1970. The newlyweds moved El Paso, Texas where Bill was stationed in the United States Army at Fort Bliss. Mary Jo delighted in decorating their first apartment, and the couple would cross the border into Juarez on weekends for dinner and entertainment. While in El Paso, she was a member of the Ft. Bliss Officers’ Wives Club and the Air Defense Board Wives’ Club.

In 1972, Mary Jo and Bill returned to Indianapolis for Bill’s job at Eli Lilly & Company. Mary Jo promptly began her charitable endeavors in the community, joining The Junior Symphony Group, the Gamma Phi Beta Alumnae Chapter, The Boys’ Club Auxiliary, and The Junior League of Indianapolis. Later in life, she was very active with A.R.T. (Auxiliary to the Indianapolis Art League) in Broad Ripple and loved supporting local artists. Through these organizations, she graciously served her community and formed many treasured lifelong friendships.

Mary Jo and Bill welcomed their first daughter, Courtney, in 1973, and a second daughter, Suzanne, in 1975. Mary Jo dedicated her life to her girls – the Campbell Girls – and was a wonderful mother, cheerleading them through life, friendships and careers. She was a stickler for grammar and etiquette, placed great emphasis on education and opportunity, and was known to fix a thing or two with a stapler at the kitchen counter. She also had a wonderful sense of humor and was a progressive homemaker – always lending an open ear to her friends and neighbors and offering sound, practical advice. Many evenings were spent around the kitchen table or on the patio with good friends. Mary Jo embraced life in full color, and her love of art and interior design was evident throughout the family home, where Bill and Mary Jo loved to host friends and colleagues. She was a voracious reader (at one point reading a book per day), and, having grown up playing the flute, Mary Jo was also a lifelong music lover. Favorites were Tina Turner and The Mamas & the Papas.

Mary Jo’s recent attention was centered on her grandchildren, John and Brooke Wellen of Southlake, Texas. Always up for a Facetime call or visit, JoJo loved to hear about baseball, soccer, how Brooke’s clarinet practice was going, and the latest updates on school and friends.

Mary Jo is survived by her loving husband of 55 years, Bill Campbell; daughter Courtney of Dallas, Texas; daughter Suzanne (Darrell) Wellen of Southlake, Texas; grandchildren John and Brooke Wellen of Southlake, Texas; cousin and pseudo-sister Ruth Ann (Charles) Evans of Champaign, Illinois. The family would like to extend special thanks to caregiver Rachael Massaso and physical therapist Alex Kupilas as well as the teams at Hooverwood Living and A.R.N. Hospice, all of whom took wonderful care of Mary Jo. They are truly angels on Earth.

Visitation: There will be no visitation.

Funeral: A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on August 1, 2026, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Indianapolis, with Fr. Pat Beidelman officiating. Leppert Mortuary, Indianapolis, handled the cremation service. A private inurnment will be at Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis.

In memory of Mary Jo, and in lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that you please consider a donation to the Indy Art Center. https://indyartcenter.org/