Mary Jo Michal

November 1, 1961 - January 6, 2020

Mary Jo Michal "Life is like the ocean. It can be calm and still or rough and rigid but in the end it is always beautiful." On Monday, January 6, 2020, Mary Jo Michal, our loving daughter, sister and friend, passed away at the age of 58 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She spent her final days living her best life, despite all the hardships life had handed her, surrounded by people that cared deeply for her. Born November 1, 1961 in Roseau, MN to Clinton and Genevieve (Grafstrom) Michal; Mary grew up on the family farm in Spruce township. There she developed a thirst for knowledge, an aptitude for piano and songwriting, and a love of nature and all God’s creatures. She graduated from Roseau Public Schools in 1979, and then attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Duluth, MN where she was pinned and capped with her RN diploma. Nursing was the perfect career for Mary. It combined her interests in science and helping people, and afforded her the flexibility to live in various cities throughout her life including Roseau, Duluth, Seattle and Sault Ste Marie, MI. Ultimately, she chose to spend the majority of her career providing critical care for the patients at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. In recent years, Mary spent her summers in Duluth (where she enjoyed swimming in Lake Superior and spending time with friends and family) and her winters in Honolulu (where she enjoyed walking on the beach, swimming in the Pacific Ocean and painting local scenery and wildlife). She could always be found close to the water or sea; because it, like her, was beautiful, mysterious and free. Mary is survived by her mother Genevieve Michal of Salol, MN; her siblings Jean (Karl) Kroll of Maple Grove, MN, Sally (Clay Maxon) Michal of St. Paul, MN, Timothy Michal of Roseau, MN, Kelly Michal of North Port, FL, Daniel Michal of Roseau, MN, and Allie (Jeff Baudler) Michal of Naples, FL; her nieces and nephews Karl Kroll, Cacilie (Sam) Lofquist, Emerson Michal, Katja Kroll, Isabella Michal, Genevieve Michal and Augustus Michal; and great-nephew Thor Lofquist. She also leaves her close friend David Ronstad of Duluth and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Mary was preceded in death by her father Clinton Michal. Memorial services will be held January 18, 2020 at 10:30am at the First Lutheran Church in Salol.