Mary J Baltisberger

Mary Jean Baltisberger died peacefully at home on January 31, 2021, at the age of 85 following several years battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Born on October 10, 1936 in Gallipolis, Ohio, to parents George and Eleanor Tabit, she grew up in Gallipolis, OH. She graduated from Gallia Academy High School where she was popular with her friends.   She went to Wittenberg College in Springfield OH where she graduated with a BS degree in Medical Technology in 1957.

She began her working years in the laboratory at Miami Valley Hospital.   She was living with friends from work when she found difficulty because of her allergy to cats when a roommate brought a cat into their home. She moved to a sperate apartment in Dayton where she met her future husband, Richard Baltisberger. They moved to North Dakota in 1968 when Richard became a professor at the University of North Dakota. Mary Jean and Richard were active members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Grand Forks until they moved to Newark in 2001 for retirement. They remained true to each other for over fifty-seven years.

Together with her husband, they raised two boys and cherished their five grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Mary enjoyed exercise and convinced her husband to engage in numerous outdoor activities including biking and walking around Grand Forks ND where they lived. There were also lots of trips to Northern Minnesota for cross country skiing and biking on old railroad lines in the Park Rapids area of Minnesota.  Richard got her interested in his hobby of fishing at Lake of the Woods in Canada near their Grand Forks home.  She became an excellent walleye fisher where she took up the art of jigging for slow biting fish. Both her and Richard were avid gardeners and got their Master Gardener certificates while in North Dakota.  She will lovingly be remembered for her broad-mindedness, willingness to help others, her kindness, non-judgmental and gentle nature.  However, she was an excellent bridge player that could beat you in duplicate bridge.  Mary and Richard loved traveling all over the National Parks in the west.  Also travelled to France, Greece and Switzerland and numerous Elderhostel adventures in the USA.  She will be greatly missed by her family.

Surviving is her husband, Richard; son Richard and Jane Baltisberger of Granville; Grandchildren Jacob, Zach, Anna; Granddaughter Sarah and Justin Machamer of Newark OH with great granddaughter Jozie; son Jay Baltisberger and his daughter, Katarina of Lexington, KY; siblings, Margaret Tabit and George and Pat Tabit.

A memorial service celebrating Mary’s life will be held Saturday, February 19 at 1:00 PM at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 107 East Broadway, Granville OH.

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