Mary Jo Risk, age 87, passed away unexpectedly on November 29, 2022.  She was born May 19, 1935 in Lafayette Indiana to Forrest and Letha Coling as the youngest of 7 children (one passed shortly after birth) in the era of the Great Depression which formed her lifetime frugality.  Her personality was cheery and outgoing, loving and caring.  She enjoyed school and was a cheerleader at Lafayette Jefferson High.  Always adventurous, she would travel summers with sorority friends to New York City and Hollywood California with only a dime in her pocket…. they would find summer jobs, create new memories and return home for the fall semester.

In 1953, as a Purdue freshman, Mary Jo tried out for cheerleader and made the cut from over 400 contenders to the final 40; the tryouts caused her to lose her voice and she went to the speech clinic at Purdue for treatment.  Being impressed by the therapy received led to her decision to study Speech Pathology; she received her Bachelor of Science in 1957. As a member of Chi Omega sorority at Purdue, she developed many lifelong friendships. She remained a loyal fan of Purdue basketball and football and rarely missed watching a game.  She knew all of the players and was often out of her seat with excitement…always a cheerleader.

Mary Jo met Jerry Risk on a blind date as a senior at Purdue and they married May 25, 1957. Jerry was a farmer, so Mary Jo moved from the city to the farm in Wingate where they raised their children together.  The marriage ended after 32 years, but Mary Jo helped Jerry later in life as his health declined until he passed away in 2015.

Mary Jo worked hard to create an amazing career while raising five children. Her work included the role as speech and language teacher at Attica Consolidated Schools for 16 years. For 20 years she enjoyed teaching and managing the Shawnee Center for developmentally disabled preschool children and adults.  She was passionate in her work and often would bring handicapped and disadvantaged children home to spend the weekend with her family on the farm.  Further, she had 20 years of part time work as speech/language pathologist providing speech and swallowing evaluations and therapy to nursing home and in-home patients.   She continued working until the age of 75.  Through the years, she earned a Master’s Degree from Indiana State University and completed course work for a second Masters at DePaul University.

Upon retirement, Mary Jo grew deep in her faith and enjoyed serving others.  She gave in multitudes of ways to her beloved Trinity United Methodist Church, where she helped feed the homeless, care for the sick and pray for those in need. She actively participated in bible study at Riverside Church.   Her biggest love in life was her family.  Through the years as her siblings passed away, she took on the role of family matriarch and was always there for her nieces and nephews.  She dearly loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She went above and beyond for her family, attending sporting events and anything and everything that was important to all of her family.

Mary Jo was a water bug and swimming brought her joy…later on in life she was a dedicated water aerobics attendee. She would participate in group fitness classes almost daily, allowing her to remain youthful; through this she developed some amazing friendships. She was always popular and had friends from many different walks of life, and all ages. She played bridge weekly with 3 different clubs.    She was beautiful inside and out, setting the standard for how all of us want to be when we reach the later in life stages: graceful, giving, active and joyful.

Mary Jo is survived by her five children:  Kimberly Loveless (Roy), Lafayette; Kathryn Stetler, Carmel; Roger Risk (Cathy), W Lafayette; Karen Graber, Loogootee; Amy Risk (Bryan Michelsen), Half Moon Bay, CA. She is also survived by nine grandchildren: Jessica Loveless DeHerdt, Ashley Risk Floyd (Alex), Zachary Risk, Ryan Loveless, Alexis Stetler Sarbinoff (Ryan), Moss and Fisher Michelsen, Olivia Risk and Michaela Scherer, and 4 great-grandchildren, Lynley and Layla DeHerdt, Aurelia Floyd, and Sienna Sarbinoff. Additionally, she is survived by her eldest sibling, Phyllis A Coling Erlick (100 years old). Mary Jo was preceded in death by her parents, and siblings, Wayne Coling, Forrest Coling Jr, Patricia Trice, Shirley Kiser, and baby brother Coling.

Friends will be received 11-1 on December 17 with Mary Jo’s Celebration of Life at 1pm at Trinity United Methodist Church, 509 North St, Lafayette Indiana 47901. She will be inurned in her final resting place, Meadow View Cemetery immediately after services. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, www.trinitylafayette.org. Soller-Baker Funeral Home is handling arrangements. Feel free to share memories and condolences online at www.soller-baker.com.