Mary Jo Rose, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, friend, teacher and dog/cat mom passed away in Holiday Island on July 1, 2024. She died peacefully after living with late stage dementia for the last two years. Mary Jo was born January 10, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois.
Mary Jo attended Tulsa Junior College in the early 1970s. In the mid-‘90s she returned to school and obtained her Masters in Education at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. Over the years, she held many service-oriented positions, including flight attendant, landscape artist, waitress, solar panel enthusiast, educator, nanny, and caretaker.
She will probably be remembered most from the years she served as founder of Main Stage Cultural Center and Executive Director of Lane House, which served “To provide a safe environment for young people to experience creative education and recreation.”
Lane House and Main Stage were the children she never had, and these projects provided incredible opportunities for all ages of Eurekans to express themselves and creatively work together for more than a decade, in parades, in the theater, on the stage, and in our hearts. Raise your hand if you were touched by these projects!
Mary Jo gave marriage a few tries, deciding she was happiest in the beautiful homes she created with her animals and plants. She was an avid reader and loved to travel the world in the stories she read. Always ready to jump in the lake or the pool, she loved road trips to Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans, Santa Fe and Tulsa.
Mary Jo was passionate about education and early childhood development. She taught hundreds of students over the years in Eureka, DC, Chicago, and Tulsa. Like most Eurekans, she supported all the fundraisers and loved attending gallery openings, potlucks, parades, parties, weddings, and celebrations of life.
Originally from Chicago, she lived in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Tulsa and Oklahoma, and in 1975, she officially moved to Eureka Springs after years of visiting. She bought 5 acres of land off Hwy. 23N, where she built her own home and created a sanctuary for her friends to enjoy and take refuge during tough times.
She loved the community aspect of Eureka Springs and wanted to be part of the shift in consciousness on this planet. Over the years she was a member of book clubs, sister circles, spiritual and religious congregations, and political movements.
Raised Catholic, she converted to Episcopalian at St. James church in the late ‘90s. But it was her steadfast belief in prayer and Tarot that carried her through each day. She always referred to herself as B’hai and a “multi-pather,” or someone who took the parts of different faiths that worked for her and created her own spiritual path.
She was a diehard Democrat and believed in the American ideals. Caring for her plants brought her peace and everything was always blooming at her house. She prayed daily and did her best to live a serene life of service.
A few years ago, Mary Jo’s health began to take a turn and people close to her realized she’d likely already been suffering from early dementia for 10-20 years. She rests in peace now with her Creator and will live forever in our hearts.
She is preceded in death by her mother, Mary Daneen, and her father, Edward Mandernack, as well as brothers Ed and Jack Mandernack. She is survived by her brother, Michael Mandernack, nieces Cheryl Tully, Lynn Frerichs, Becky Saliwonczyk, Stacey Schuster and Teri Meadows, and nephews Michael Mandernack, Danny Mandernack and Michael Meadows.
She has many great nephews and nieces who loved her, and her cat Gracie still lives in Eureka Springs. Mary Jo’s living soul relatives will keep her memory alive in Chicago, Eureka, Tulsa and beyond.
In her memory, please connect with and protect the natural environment around you, be a good neighbor, and shine your light as brightly as you can!