Mary Jean Bacon, née Marchetti, was born in the city of Norway, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The youngest daughter of Florence and Lucille Marchetti, she was very proud to claim the title of “Yooper”. She grew up there and graduated from high school in Norway before attending business school in Milwaukee. It was there that she met her future husband, Donald Bacon at a USO event while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. They were married in Milwaukee on September 30, 1961 and had four children. She spent the next 27 years as a navy wife traversing the United States before calling Texas home for the last 43 years.
Mary Jean’s faith, family, and children were among the greatest passions of her life. She loved baking with her children and grandchildren, teaching them how to crochet, watching westerns and cheering on her Packers. She loved people and found meaning in helping others. She worked as an HR manager for the Navy Exchange before pursuing a medical career, working as an EMT and medical assistant and providing care to elderly residents in nursing homes.
She was preceded in death by her father, Florence G. Marchetti; her mother, Lucille Wilhelmina Marchetti, née London; and her three sisters, Margaret Mastie, Geraldine Gierzyck, and Barbara Jean DeSchepper.
She is survived by her son, Donald, and his wife, Melissa; her daughter, Gina; her daughter, Yvonne Prince, and her husband, David; and her daughter, Christine Thomas. She is also survived by her six grandchildren, Mariah, Lance, Alexis, Eric, James, and John, and 11 great-grandchildren.
A viewing will be held at Zoeller Funeral Home, 615 Landa St, New Braunfels, TX 78130 on Tuesday, October 6, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. A vigil and rosary service will be held from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Mary Jean will then be flown to her home town of Norway, Michigan where she will have her funeral mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and be interned in a family plot next to her parents in Norway Township Cemetery.
Mary Jean will be remembered for her deep faith, her love for her family, her compassion for others, and the many lives she touched through her care and kindness.
