On November 5th, 2023, our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother,

sister, cousin and friend Mary Jo Swenson, escaped her aging and pained

body to be reunited with her sweet husband, father, mother, two sons, and

many dear friends and extended family members who had been awaiting

her return.

Mary Jo was born at home on December 6, 1929, in Orem, Utah, to Barlow

Elder and Iris Pope. She was given the name Mary Josephine, but her

father insisted that she be called Mary Jo.

She was born during the first part of the Great Depression. Poverty during

her early years truly shaped her outlook for the remainder of her life.

However, she also had wonderful memories of happy times with her family,

including uncles, aunts and cousins, playing music, singing and dancing

and just being together.

When she was a junior in high school, a friend set Mary Jo up on a blind

date with LaVell Swenson. The two found love with one another and were

married on September 29th, 1947 in the Salt Lake Temple. They spent over

70 years facing life's challenges together side by side.

Hard work and education were both very important to Mary Jo. In the early

years of their marriage she worked as a waitress and then as an aide at the

Utah State Hospital. Her co-workers at the Utah State Hospital encouraged

her to get her GED certificate and apply to go to BYU. So, with three little

kids at home, she scraped together the time and the money to attend BYU.

She earned her Bachelor's degree in elementary education and later went

back to school to earn a Master's degree in special education. She taught

elementary school in Provo and Orem for 26 years, her favorite grade to

teach was 3rd grade.

Loss and heartbreak also shaped Mary Jo's life. Mary Jo and LaVell's first

baby, David LaVell Swenson, died at 5 days old and their second child,

Rodney E Swenson, died at age 21 due to bone cancer that spread into his

lungs. Oh how sweet the reunion must have been for her to be able to

embrace her two lost sons again when she passed from this life.

Mary Jo was a great financial steward. She was introduced to investing in

mutual funds early in her teaching career and she set her mind to saving

for retirement. When she would get a raise, instead of putting that extra

money into the budget, she would add that amount to her retirement fund.

And so, after Mary Jo and LaVell retired, the fun and adventures of life truly

began. Because of the smart financial decisions they had made throughout

their marriage, they were able to square dance across the country from

Montana to Ohio. They were able to travel the world by plane, car, and

cruise ship. Some of the places they visited were Ireland, the Panama

Canal, the Caribbean, Mexico, France, England, Pennsylvania, Nauvoo,

Victoria Island, Niagara Falls, Alaska, Spain, and Morocco. They were able

to spend more than fifteen, happy winters in St. George as snow birds

where they met dear friends. They truly enjoyed their time in St George

with those friends dancing, playing cards, and exploring the area.

Mary Jo is survived by three of her children, Diana Lee Swenson Gourley,

Joe Neil Swenson (Jolene), and Julie Ann Swenson Keele (Mark), 12

grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her

brothers, Wendell Elder and Clay Elder and her sisters, Carolee Elder

Anderson and Claudia Elder Penrod. She was preceded in death by her

husband, two sons, David and Rodney, and her mother and father, Iris and

Barlow.

Funeral services will be held at 11am on Friday, November 10th at Walker

Sanderson Funeral Home, 646 East 800 North, Orem, Utah. There will be a

viewing that day from 10am to 10:45am. Interment will be in the Orem City

Cemetery. Condolences can be sent to www.walkersanderson.com.