Mary Jo Frances Dermody
Mary Jo Dermody
Mary Jo Frances Dermody passed away unexpectedly at her home in Kirkland, WA, on October 16th, 2024. A beloved mother, grandmother, sister, cousin, aunt and friend. Mary Jo (MJ) will always be remembered for her kindness, warm smile, strong intellect, entrepreneurial spirit and as a force to be reckoned with.
Born on December 26th,1957 in Seattle, WA, MJ was the daughter of John J. Dermody (SPD Ret.) and Meave Duggan Dermody. MJ graduated from Bishop Blanchet High School in 1976 and attended Shoreline Community College. She started her career at Rainier Bank prior to joining MacPherson’s Real Estate Services. While raising her family, MJ opened a Secretarial Service, opened the first “paint your own pottery” business in the Northwest called “The Studio,” and started CANVAS Paint & Sip with locations in Bellevue, Kirkland and Seattle.
MJ is survived by her two adult children, Laura Tokolahi (Semisi), David Robison, one granddaughter, Reign Tokolahi, and MJ’s brothers, Neil (Mary Beth), John (Chrys) and Jim (Katie); in addition to five nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her former husband Tom Robison. MJ was extremely proud of her Irish heritage and cherished her relationships with the many friends, colleagues, and mentors she met along the way.
MJ will be greatly missed. A celebration of MJ’s life will be held at a future date.
Go n-éirí do bhóthar leat.
8 Responses to “Mary Jo Frances Dermody”
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Mary Jo(MJ), my little sister…Happy Birthday! I love you and I will miss you.
Neil
Mary Jo (M.J.), we miss you on this, your birthday (12/26). You are gone too soon. Many know, but I will say it here, I would not be here in Seattle and have had the grounding and success were it not for my siblings, specifically you. That’s one of the reasons behind the statement “a force to be reckoned with.” You were forced to deal with things beyond your chronological age. And you faced those things head one. I am better for it and owe you an immense debt I can never repay. My girls, for whom you cared and looked after many times, miss you. I know you were/are proud of them. Will see you again. Love you.
Your little brother, Jim.
Go n-éirí do bhóthar leat.
M.J. was a dear friend years ago and we worked together at Rainier Bank.
We were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings and shared so many good times together.
M.J. was a true friend, a loyal and strong person.
So many fond memories.
And, of course, her sweet smile and that twinkle in her eyes are unmatched.
Now, she dances in the heavens and I wish her peace and joy.
So many fond memories of raising our kids together. We had a lot of laughs and some tears but I will always look back at our friendship with happy memories. Praying for all of you. Sending your family lots of love and strength 🤍
MJ, my partner in crime and endless shinanigans. None of them can be mentioned here but you know what I’m talking about 😜. Endless memories of 4 cruises, trips to Palm Springs, Sun Valley and Arizona. Weddings and birthday parties. Baseball with our boys and dance functions with our girls. I admired you for the smart, courageous and hard worker you were. I will miss our friendship and especially miss the opportunity to tell you this all in person. Love you 🥰
It is always hard to say goodbye, but especially hard on the first day of a new year to someone younger than ourselves. We have known MJ since she was a teenager, amongst a family held together by siblings, not parents. MJ was the glue. As others have noted, she was bright, charming and irrepressibly independent and entrepreneurial. She always found new and interesting things to focus-her vast energy on. Though we have not stayed close in recent years, we always appreciated reports from Neil and Jim. We are happy in the knowledge MJ will always be well-remembered and held close to the hearts of family and friends.
MJ. Always a ray of sunshine. You will be missed. My thoughts are with all of your family.
We have lost an amazing person.
MJ was such a kind person to everyone.
She always had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.
We had some great laughs in the hallways of Blanchet.
My thoughts and prayers to MJs family