Mary Larsen

Mary Josephine Larsen passed away peacefully on July 7, 2005, at age 74 in Shoreline, Wash.

She was born May 1, 1931, in Great Falls to John Anthony Lindsay and Susan Churchill Lindsay. Mary Jo moved with her family to Whitefish in 1940, where her family owned and operated the Orpheum movie theater.

After graduating from Whitefish High School in 1949, Mary Jo was crowned queen of the first Whitefish Winter Carnival that same year. She received her degree in English Literature from the College of Great Falls in 1954 after attending Holy Names College in Spokane in 1950 and the University of Portland in 1951-52.

She married Leonard (Len) Larsen in 1954 and moved to Seattle, where Len worked for the Boeing Company as an engineer. After living in Connecticut and Southern California in early 1960s, they moved to Seattle permanently in 1965.

Mary Jo will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend. Her great intelligence and wit will be deeply missed by all her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Leonard Conrad II, in January 2005, and her daughter Susan Lynn in 1985.

She is survived by four children, Mary Kay Talbot and husband Dave, Karen Teresa Jacobson and husband Jake, Joanne Fitzmorris and Leonard Conrad III and his friend Mark Klungland; and five grandchildren.

The Larsen family would like to thank Dr. Douglas Lee and his staff, and the staffs of Northwest Hospital, Richmond Beach Rehabilitation Center and Providence Hospice for their care during Mary Jo's battle with cancer.

The family has arranged for private services.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the March of Dimes, www.marchofdimes.com, 1275 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains NY 10605, or the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org, 1-800-ACS-2345.