Evans Funeral Home
"Compassionate Funeral Service"
Carrington and New Rockford, North Dakota
701.652.3003 or 701.947.2911
Secondary Number ~ 701.650.9937
Mary Jo Wallace
Mary Jo Wallace bravely relinquished her four-month battle on March 10th, 2025 from complications caused by an unbeknownst reinfection of her heart (endocarditis). Passing at the age of 65 in the St. Mary’s Hospital (Mayo Clinic) in Rochester, MN. The very hospital that saved her life from her first battle with sepsis and endocarditis in 2020; blessing her family with a few more precious years of life.
On April 23rd, 1959 Patricia Lies gave birth to her lifelong best friend and daughter, Mary Jo Lies. Someone who the world would soon realize as a life force to be reckoned with – hence her being so special she didn’t need a middle name. LeRoy joined the dynamic duo around 1964, thus turning them into a Krueger trio in 1965. Growing up in New Rockford, ND, Mary Jo attended school at the St. James Academy and New Rockford High School, graduating in 1977. Legend says if you ask a few of her dear classmates, beloved family members and childhood friends, they will let you know she was the life of the party and tell many tales of her adventures. After graduation she went on to get her cosmetology license.
Mary Jo gave birth to her first problem child, Xanthe Morgan in October 1981. Soon followed by the second problem child and right-hand gardener, Jenna Marie, in July 1983. Then in August 1984 she was blessed with her favorite son, Shane Lee Patrick. In July 1988 she was united in marriage to Clark Wallace and moved out to the farm. Somewhat shortly after, she gave birth to their rainbow child, and worst nightmare of them all, Taryn Louise in May 1990. Following suit like her own mother, all of her children were her best friends.
After many years working as a CNA, alongside her daughter Xanthe, Mary Jo made the decision to get her LPN degree and nursing license. Completing this feat while Taryn was still in school. She worked as a nurse with residents and fellow nurses she loved dearly until she had to hang up her stethoscope due to needing to medically retire. Soon that was proven to be a blessing because she was able to take care of her mother until her passing.
Mary Jo loved all things nature and intellect. Whether it be gardening, getting a little tan, swimming, and skiing. Time spent out in the field jamming to music and raking hay, with many of her furry canine friends in tow throughout the years, for the cattle she loved to work with or letting her spirit soar while riding horseback. She was a talented cook/food scientist, an avid reader, artist, musician (a seasoned one of the little German Band) and organist, sewist and textile crafter. A selfless caretaker of both human and furry loved ones. She was known to have a drink or two and anyone that joined her was in for a hoot of a time, especially during her era of bartending at Hanson’s Bar. Finally, a friend to most that were lucky enough to have met her.
Mary Jo was stoic to an unfortunate default, intelligent, upfront, kind hearted but ornery, a best friend, mother and grandmother, creative, selfless and a vivacious spirit. She was quick witted, humorous, and strong, even up until her untimely death. Surpassing all the Mayo Clinic staff expectations of her demeanor when comparing her health status to her various medical testing, health screenings and scan results.
Mary Jo is survived by her father, LeRoy Krueger; children, Xanthe Morgan, Jenna Angelbrandt, Shane Wallace, Taryn Wallace and her special little chihuahua daughter, Wolfie; uncles, Robert “Robbie” (Margie) Lies, and aunts, Shirley (John) Mayer, JoAnn (Barry) McNett, Judy Bartlett, Veronica “Bunny” Lively and Susan Vanderhyde, all whom gladly call her an honorary sister; uncles, Vernon Krueger and Ronnie (Dorothy) Krueger; eight grandchildren that she loved dearly, Zander, Ryder, Addison, Andrew, Kylee, Khloe, Bryce, and Easton; Judy Hann and Family; Philip (Sharon) Wallace and Family; Clark Wallace and many special family and friends.
She is preceded in death by her grandmother and second mother, Anna Mary “Grandma Mary” Lies; mother, Patricia “Pat” Krueger (whom we are sure welcomed her with open arms in heaven); uncles, Dean “Jack” Lies, Hubert “Bud” Lies, Mayo Lies, Keith Bartlett, and Richard Lively; aunt, Ramona “Monie” Klocke and honorary aunt, Carol Lies; and her birthday twin cousin, Daniel “Danny” Lies.
The family would like to thank the individuals that provided other worldly compassionate care to her during her times of illness. Starting with home health (you know who you are); nurse Reuben (like the sandwich), Dr. Vitaly Starosta, and Dr. Christopher Pribula all at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND; all the amazing medical staff at the Mayo Clinic, especially Dr. Gabor Bagameri (or Dr. Bergamont according to MJ), the surgeon who did the complex eight-hour lifesaving operation of her infection debridement and reconstruction of her heart in 2020.
In lieu of flowers (she wasn’t fond of flowers that were no longer growing) please send potted plants, seed packets or sprout lings of your favorite garden produce, crack a cold one with a loved one, and share any special memories with the family that you have of Mary Jo.
Many have shared the positive impact she has left with them. She will truly be missed by all that have crossed paths with her during her life.
Mary Jo’s Visitation will be Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 4:00-5:30PM with family present and a Rosary at 5:30PM and Vigil Service at 6:00PM all at Evans Funeral Home in New Rockford.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday, March 20, at 11:00AM at St. John’s Catholic Church, New Rockford.
Her Burial will be at the St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, New Rockford.
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We are so very sorry for your loss.
Prayers are with the Krueger, Wallace and extended families at this time of loss.
RIP Mary Jo! The Lord picked a good person for his next Angel!
Kathy and Corey Lesmeister
I was shocked and saddened to hear that Mary Jo passed. Sending hugs to all the family
Much love and prayers for God to comfort you in your loss.
I’m so sorry to hear of Mary Jo passing . Words won’t help – but time does . It hurts for a long time . Love , hugs and prayers .
I am so sorry. Praying for you all. Have known you all for years. Remember the good times. If you need anything let me know. Am seriously sad about your loss. Take care
Shane and family members, we are so sorry. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Shane and family,
Rick and I are sorry to hear of your loss. Prayers for peace at this difficult time.
Please let us know if you need anything.
So sad to hear of a friend passing way to soon. Yep she was a one of a kind. Always said what she thought. Always a fun time growing up. I sure will miss seeing u around my friend. Kid and Leroy we send lots of prayers. God Bless her memory. She’s up taking care of mama again.
Good night dear friend. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
my thoughts and prayers are with the family. Mary Jo was always kind and had the best laugh. I always enjoyed getting to visit with her.
Sorry for your loss Mary Jo was a special person and will be missed Prayers to you all and cherish your memories. She loved to laugh and have a good time I loved her sense of humor and her laugh
So sorry to hear this news. Thanks for subbing and always supporting the library! My thoughts are with the family.
I am so very sorry, a wonderful nurse and person. Praying for God’s comfort.
I was so sorry to hear about the loss of Mary Jo. She was a wonderful nurse and caregiver to my Mom and Dad at the Lutheran home.(one of their favorites!!)She could always handle my Dad and was instrumental in his adjustment to life at the home!! She will be missed by so many and what a wonderful tribute you have written of her life.
May the Lord wrap his arms around you all and comfort you. Mary Jo was a wonderful person and will be missed by many. Hold onto the wonderful memories you have and remember to honor her in your own special way. She loved you all ❤️
Leroy and family’s. Our deepest sympathy to you all. Another Angel got her wings.
So very sorry for your families loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
My condolences to Mary Jo’s family. She was an amazing person. I so enjoyed getting to know her better after we moved to New Rockford. I have enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with her entire family. Rest in Peace my dear friend. 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️
Odd to start a condolence this way I know, but I must express my gratitude to whomever wrote Mary Jo’s obituary. If ever a person could capture her essence in words, this is definitely it. Mary was definitely and completely a life force to be reckoned with, kind hearted but ornery. Mary Jo and I were friends in youth, from grade school until a few years after graduating high school. We had many a sleepover at each other’s house. I always made sure to be at her house when Pat baked her famous buns–still the best I ever had. We spent many hours on horseback and may have conspired a time or two to pilfer cherry cigars from the bowling alley to smoke under the railroad bridge. She was an important part of my youth, and that I will forever be grateful for (and still giggle over a few memories). Prayers for strength for her family during this difficult time. Sending a virtual hug to you LeRoy. I wish I could be home for the services. Hope to see you in Heaven someday Mary❤️
Mary Jo was one of the best nurses I have ever met! She was honest and was always able to handle any patient. She always had a smile and a great sense of humor. My thoughts go out to her family with my sympathy. She will be deeply missed.
Leroy, Jenna, Xanthe, Shane, Taryn, Zander and family….we are so very sorry for this great loss that you have suffered, yet again. Our hearts break for you. MaryJo was so full of life and always made everyone feel like they were welcome and part of the crew. She will be missed so much. Grandma Jo, you will never be forgotten! May the memories and great photos you all have with her bring you comfort and strength as you journey through this unfortunate path of grief.
Xanthe, Jenna, Shane, & Taryn, I am so sorry for your loss. I have many fond memories of Mary Jo. I was lucky to have her as a CCD/Sunday school teacher growing up. She had such a great sense of humor. I also remember her as a talented musician as she played every Sunday at church. You will all be in my prayers. Losing a parent so young is so hard. She fought a heck of a battle and is now free of pain.
Condolences to LeRoy, Mary Jo’s children.
This one hurts. Mary Jo was one of a kind, I had some memorable experiences with Mary Jo, there is one that sticks out.
Her humor/wit was perfect. We were in Mr. Olafson’s Business English class, all of us getting assembled to take our seats, she walked over to the window, where the infamous red swimsuit poster of Farrah Fawcett hung. She alerted Mr. Olafson with ‘concern’ and said,”Mr. Olafson, you better close the window, Farrah’s getting cold.” Hilarious! To know Mary Jo was an experience. Your memory lives on, you were a treasure. I’m sure your mom is happy to see you. You are missed dearly.
My sincere condolences to Leroy and all of the family that cared for Mary Jo. She was always pleasant, cheerful and friendly with anyone who shared in her humor. God bless her soul in her eternal peace.
Teddy
I was saddened and shocked to hear of MaryJo’s passing. My heart breaks for her family and for all that knew her. She sure had a way to cheer ya up if you were having a bad day. Her laugh will be missed for sure. Xanthe, Jenna, Shane, Tayrn, Leroy, I am soo soo sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. I’m thinking Pat was right there waiting for her.
Michelle (Pfau) Moen is right! The Wallace children wrote one heck of a spot on tribute to their mother. I am going to add to it with some of my own hilarious Mary Jo memories:
Mary Jo, Michelle and I spent many hours at the NR swimming pool. There was a life guard, Richard Anderson, who would frequently kick at least one, if not all, of us out for whatever rule infraction he could come up with. One rule was ‘only one bounce on the diving board’. One afternoon, Mary Jo decided to break this rule. She continuously jumped up and down on the low board next to Richard in his life guard chair. He blew the whistle at her and she said, ‘Nothing is better for thee than me’—borrowing the line from a 1970s era Quaker Oats commercial. Still makes me laugh. I think that got her kicked out for a week.
When the three of us were at the pool, you quickly learned never to go up the ladder ahead of Mary Jo—she would pull your bikini bottoms down to your knees as you tried making your exit out of the pool. Oh, and in similar fashion, if you wore a tube top (so popular in the ‘70s), Mary Jo would catch you unaware and yank it from both sides down to your waist (no bras on of course).
Mary Jo had a slight chip in one of her front teeth. She would fill her mouth with water and shoot the water out with great accuracy and force. One day, we visited some sort of petting zoo or Deer Park. Mary Jo loaded her mouth up with Coca Cola and shot it squarely into the eye of a deer. Yeah, it was wrong to do that to the deer, I’ll give you that, but to this DAY, the memory of that deer blinking away that sudden hit of coke makes me belly laugh.
Like Michelle, I had many sleepovers at Mary Jo’s. Often Leroy and Pat were up town at the Eagles playing in their band. Mary Jo and I were left alone to spend hours making prank phone calls. Oh my WORD, the things Mary Jo could come up with!!! Honestly, she was so witty and an exceptionally fast thinker. None of the people pranked had a sliver of a chance!
Michelle, Mary Jo and I went to see the movie The Exorcist. We had no idea what we were getting into. Of the three of us, Mary Jo was the most terrified. She put her coat over her head and kept repeating ‘we never should have come here’. That was the first and only time I ever saw Mary Jo afraid.
We both played saxophone in band. Every day, Mary Jo would come up with unique and interesting ways to irritate the band director. She would say ‘play all the G notes as G#’ or ‘let’s play starting here, two measures ahead’ or ‘let’s pull our mouthpieces all the way out so we’ll sound flat’. Poor Mark Hitz, he sat by us and had to live with it. He was a great sport.
No one could burp on command like Mary Jo, or whistle louder with her fingers through her teeth. I have used up all the space here…I could go on
It will take some time to fill the void this lady leaves. I am so sorry for your loss and at the same time am so grateful for the time that Mary Jo gave us here at LHGS. What a pistol! When I would come into work and see that she was on the schedule it was such a relief. She had such passion and commitment as a nurse caring for her unit and anyone else that came with an issue for a look-see when not feeling well. The obituary says it all so very well! You kids of hers…you’ve got this. She has passed the baton as caretaker of this family to you. Do her proud.
My father really liked her when he was at the nursing home. Blessings to the family. May she RIP
We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family. Working with Mary Jo at the Lutheran Home was a joy and a cherished memoiry,
So sad to hear about Mary Jo. Sending hugs and kisses to all her family. She babysat our tribe, which wasn’t an easy gig, and was always full of fun and pranks.
My Condolences to all her family at the loss of mom and daughter, Grandmother.May She Rest in Peace
My deepest sympathy to all of you, Mary Jo’s loving family! May you find comfort in knowing she is now reunited with her best friend, aka Mom; and may your faith in God help to comfort you now and in the days ahead. Being a classmate of Mary Jo’s was a real treat! Have some very fond, fun memories of time spent at the bowling alley. May she rest in peace.
Maureen (Klein) Knudsen
I am so sorry for your loss. Mary Jo was one of a kind. That girl had me in stitches all the time. Some of my best giggles ever. She will be missed. Please dear God hold this family in your arms and soothe the pain of their broken hearts, Amen. Shane, you’ve been on my mind. I’m here and just a call away if you need anything. Her obituary is one of the best. This is something she would have wrote. Displays her crazy personality.
I am sorry to hear of Mary Jo’s passing. She was a funny, loving, and wonderful person. My love to all of you. ❤️
I was sad to hear of Mary Jo’s passing. She was so much fun. When I worked with her at LHGS you knew you were going to have a good day. It will be sad knowing I won’t run into her again around town but I know she is in a better place. Her obituary said it just like she was. Sorry for the loss of such a great lady! Prayers for all of you.
Ah, Mary Jo…I wish we could have visited one more time in our old age! I have so many memories from grade school and beyond. It was always a fun time at Mary Jo’s house…from using Pat’s jiggling machine that was supposed to jiggle all your fat away to eating candy from the bowling alley til it came out our ears! One memory that comes to mind involves a lighter and passing gas… I’ll leave it up to the reader’s imagination to figure that out! You will be missed, my friend. I can only imagine what having Mary Jo as your mom was like…she was a hoot and a half! My hope is that your memories of her carry you through this hard time. Remember she will be with you always.
XANTHE AND FAMILY, I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. YOU ARE ALL IN OUR HEARTS AND PRAYERS.
BLESSINGS FOR COMFORT AND PEACE.
Rest in peace Mary Jo.