Mary Jo (O'Toole) Atchison 1931-2014

ATCHISON, OTOOLE, GALVIN, NICHOLS, GRIMME, BENZER, LANE, HOLLENBACK, LORENZ

Posted By: cheryl moonen (email)
Date: 3/21/2018 at 19:42:14

Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) - Saturday, March 29, 2014

Mary Jo Atchison

Mary Jo Atchison, of Dubuque, passed away at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 27, 2014, surrounded by her loving family at Luther Manor.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 31, at St. Joseph Church, 10204 Key West Drive, Key West, Iowa, with the Rev. Michael J. Podhajsky officiating. To celebrate Mary Jo's life, friends may visit from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main St., where there will be a parish wake service said at 4 p.m. Burial will be in Dubuque Memorial Gardens, south of Dubuque.

Mary Jo was born on June 22, 1931, in Dubuque, daughter of Leo and Josephine (Galvin) O'Toole. She was a lifelong resident of Dubuque. She married Fieldon Atchison on April 13, 1961, in Galena, Ill.

Mary Jo was employed at the Dubuque Packing Co. for 28 years until her retirement. She was a member of St. Joseph Church, Key West, and Meat Cutter Union 150 Retirees.

Mary Jo and Fieldon loved taking camping trips in their motor home. She also enjoyed baking, watching hockey games and volunteering to help with the Donna Ginter Turkey Dinner, which she did for 23 years. Family was the most important thing to Mary Jo. She loved spending time with her husband, children and especially the grandchildren.

Mary Jo is survived by her husband of almost 53 years, Fieldon "Bubbles" Atchison, of Dubuque; four children, Susan Jo Nichols, Mary Atchison-Hollenback, Amy (Charlie) Davis and David (Rachelle) Atchison, all of Dubuque; her 11 grandchildren; her two great-grandchildren; her siblings, John "Jack" (Joyce) O'Toole, of Dubuque, Bob (Joann) Benzer, of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Joe (Dorothy) Benzer, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and her sisters-in-law, Eileen Atchison, Suzie Lane, Marie Lorenz and Kathy Grimme, all of Dubuque, and Marilyn O'Toole, of Unionville, Mo.

Mary Jo was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Marty and David O'Toole; a grandson, Cole Hollenback; and her sister-in-law, Donna Ginter.

Online condolences may be left for the family at behrfuneralhome.com.

The family would like thank Dr. Runde and staff, Dr. Fuller and the staff at Luther Manor and Hospice of Dubuque for their loving care of Mary Jo.