Mary Josephine Jeselnick Ford of Newport passed away peacefully on May 22, 2024 at the age of 70. She was the daughter of Edward and Yolanda Jeselnick of Saint Marys, who both passed before her, along with her siblings John, Thomas, Andrew, and Gregory. A beloved wife, mother, sister, and aunt, she is survived by her husband James W. Ford, Jr., her son Zachary Ford, her siblings James, Stephen, Anne, Paul, Mark, Julia, and Dona, and a sprawling web of siblings-in-law, nieces, nephews, and beyond. Mary Jo took pleasure in caring for her family as a doting wife of 43 years and a fierce advocate for her son’s opportunities in life. A dedicated volunteer in her community, she served as a member of the Newport Women’s Club, the Newport Civic Club, and the strategic planning committee for the Newport School District. She absolutely loved antiquing, and for many years had a successful side business reselling antiques on eBay and at Penn Avenue Trading Company in Newport. Her husband would like you to know that she was an incredible speller of words (unlike him). Mary Jo was also a good cook and even better baker who could change your life with a chocolate chip cookie. She would always insist that she was very shy, but you wouldn’t know it from the number of strangers who felt they could share their life stories with her. It was more accurate to describe her as a humble listener. An expression Mary Jo was fond of saying was, “That’s just the way life is,” which her grieving family is trying to remember as they celebrate her life and memory.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the BrightFocus Foundation and its research to end Alzheimer’s disease and macular degeneration (brightfocus.org).