Mary Jo Mottley, age 88 of Darlington, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018 at Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County in Darlington. She was born May 31, 1929 in Bismarck, N.D. the daughter of Chester and Catherine (O’Neil) Martin. Mary Jo graduated from Darlington High School as class valedictorian in 1947 and later graduated from Madison Business College. She was united in marriage to Francis H. “Chub” Mottley on Sept. 17, 1949 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Darlington. Mary Jo lived in Darlington from the age of 13. She was a legal secretary early in her career and later performed title searches for abstract companies.
Mary Jo is survived by five children: Kathleen (Rick) Hempel of Madison, Kristy (Mike) Hutchens of Lakeland, Fla., Mary Pat (Bob) Vosberg of Platteville, Theresa (Garon) Reinke of Madison, and Terry (Connie) Mottley of Park Ridge, Ill.; her ten grandchildren: Ryan (Miha) Hutchens, Michelle (Matt) Dayton, Troy (Jessica) Hutchens, Patricia (Henry) Ring, Rachel (Aaron) Marjala, Brian Reinke, Sarah (Ethan) Parr, Elise Mottley, Kevin Reinke, and Luke Mottley; 7 great-grandchildren; two brothers: Tom (Mary) Martin of Madison and Jim (Patty) Martin of Darlington; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and one sister, Helen Boyle.
Mary Jo loved spending time with her children and grandchildren as well as the families of her brothers and her deceased sister. She lived for the next big family gathering.
From first grade, Mary Jo was an avid reader, and later in life her Kindle was always close at hand. She was happiest when reading a great book, playing a competitive game of bridge or euchre, or engaged in interesting conversation—especially if it focused on her beloved Darlington. She especially appreciated the talented performers in the various local theater groups there, and attended almost every musical ever produced in Darlington.
Mary Jo was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Darlington and its CCW. She was a founding member of a bridge group that played together for over 50 years, and the friendships that grew out of her bridge and euchre groups were extremely important to her.
A Time of Family Remembrance was held Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018 at 11:40 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00 p.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church (104 E. Harriet Street, Darlington) where Rev. Joji Reddy officiated. Burial was in Holy Rosary Cemetery. A visitation was held Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Erickson Funeral Home (508 Park Place, Darlington). A visitation was also held Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 11:40 a.m. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.ericksonfuneralhome.com.
For those who prefer, a memorial fund has been established in Mary Jo’s name.
Mary Jo Mottley
1929 - 2018