Obituary: Ormsby, Mary Jo
Mary Jo was born and raised in Spokane.
In 1970, she married her high school sweetheart, Ken Ormsby, and had three children, Meaghan, Molly and Clark.
In addition to her husband and children, she is survived by four grandsons, Cavan, Connor, Kidus and Jake.
Mary Jo graduated from Eastern with her teaching degree and later completed a Masters in Education from Gonzaga.
With over 20 years as an admired classroom teacher, and regarded as a statewide expert in the field of elementary math, Mary Jo was awarded the Teacher of the Year by Governor Gary Locke in 1998.
She was extremely proud of her Irish heritage, well known for her mouthwatering corned beef and hailed as Irish Woman of the Year in the 1999 St. Patty’s Day Parade.
Mary Jo was a wonderful seamstress, making her kids underappreciated outfits and gifts when they were younger.
This talent flourished later in life as she made beautiful quilts that her family will forever cherish.
Ken and Mary Jo built their home on the Spokane River where they appreciated every minute of living on the water; especially peaceful pontoon boat rides on hot summer evenings.
Mary Jo’s sense of humor and ability to make everyone in her presence feel loved and special will live on in all who had the great pleasure of knowing her.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 1:00pm at the Knights of Columbus, 302 E. Boone Ave., Spokane, WA 99202.
We welcome any of her past students to attend.