Mary Jo (Janssen) Olschesky

Mary Jo (Janssen) Olschesky’s love of life and family didn’t come to an end with her death.  Mary Jo (MJO) passed away on Thursday, May 20, 2021, following a courageous battle with cancer.  She was surrounded by her loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy by living their lives to the fullest with love in their hearts and cherishing time with their families.

Mary Jo was extremely thoughtful and caring. In fact, while dealing with the rigors of her cancer fight, her tears were more often about the sadness she saw in the eyes of her family and friends than the suffering she was enduring. 

Mary Jo was born October 14, 1957 to Robert and Katherine (Stadtmueller) Janssen.  Mary Jo lived the majority of her life in Plymouth, WI.  She worked in the healthcare field as a pharmacy technician and as a nurse at Rocky Knoll Health Care Center and The Marsho Family Medical Clinic. 

The simplest pleasures in life brought joy, smiles and contentment to MJO. She loved to spend time in her gardens. And because of her generous spirit she always had beautiful flowers and wonderful vegetables to share with others. But the true value of her gifts to others was her sincere personal caring that was included with each one.

She loved to visit her brother’s cottage with friends and family to fish, float, and go for pontoon rides.  MJO’s greatest love was spending time with her family, especially her grandson, Owen and new grandbaby Luke.  Together they would make and frost gingerbread cookies, read books, play with Play Doh, collect bugs or pretty much do whatever Owen wanted to do.

Mary Jo is survived by her father Robert (Bob) Janssen. She is also survived by her husband Jim.  They are very proud parents of two daughters Jenny (Justin Ochoa) Olschesky and Amy (Kent) Kolpin in addition to two grandsons Owen and Luke Kolpin.

She is further survived by her sister Anne (Tim) Gavigan, their daughters Elizabeth and Kelly, sister Jean (Gary) Ristow and their daughter Kristin, and one brother Bob (Lorie) Janssen and their sons Zach and Josh.  She was preceded in death by her mother, Kate Janssen.

Mary Jo was blessed with a loving family and many wonderful friends. She wanted to thank all her dear friends who walked this life and journey with her.  Your love, friendship, time, and support meant the world to her. A very special thank you to Aunt Terry, Marge, Tom, Lincoln, and Mr. Finn.  Also, a special thank you to the caring teams at Sharon Richardson Community Hospice and The Cancer Care Center at Columbia/St. Mary’s in Mequon.

A private ceremony will be held for the family in June.

RO-PO-LYM-MJO

In lieu of flowers, the family has established two memorial funds in memory of Mary Jo. The funds will be used to support anyone in need of swimming lessons at the Plymouth Aquatic Center (via St. Vincent de Paul) or for support and care at Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice. Please note if you have a preference with your contribution.