Mary Jane EVON

23 OCT 1919 - 5 JUN 2020

• BIRTH: 23 OCT 1919, Columbus, Delaware, Ohio
• DEATH: 5 JUN 2020, St Joseph County, IN

• MARRIAGE: 24 NOV 1945, St Joseph County, IN

• MARRIAGE: 28 JUN 1980, St Joiseph County, IN

INDEX

[N24571] Mary Jane Martens
nee Evon
October 23, 1919 ~ June 5, 2020 (age 100)

The Queen of our Family
Has Passed on
To a Higher Domain

There are not enough tears available
To dampen the sorrow
Felt by all of us who love
And have lost
Mary Jane Martens

That fact
Will not prevent
Our weeping…

Mary Jane Martens will be missed terribly by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews, great-grandnieces and nephews, her one surviving sister and brother-in-law, and countless friends and “adopted” children. The causes she supported will sorely miss her contributions. Mary Jane, granddaughter of Lithuanian immigrants, was born on October 23, 1919 in Columbus, Ohio, just as debates in the U.S. Congress about amending the constitution to give women the right to vote were at their peak. She was active in politics and took voting seriously throughout her entire adult life. One of her last official acts was to vote in the 2020 Indiana primary. Until she was 6 years old, Mary Jane grew up in the Saginaw, Michigan of a hundred years ago, alongside her three older siblings, Henry “Hank”, Harriet “Boodie” and Alice “Mickie”. In 1925, Henry and Kazimira “Cass” Evon moved their family to Chicago where Mary Jane’s surviving sister, Gladys, was born. It was in Chicago, in October 1929, as America was wracked by the collapsing of the stock market and sinking into the Great Depression, that Mary Jane had her own personal tragedy. Her Halloween costume caught fire when it encountered a Jack-O-Lantern flame. Once her father caught her fleeing body and put the fire out, burning his hands terribly in the process, she spent 170 days, almost half of a year, in the hospital. She was released on Easter Sunday,1930. One highlight of her young adulthood was to play clarinet in a touring all-girl band. Her group was once booked at a "gentleman's club", unbeknownst to her, until they arrived. As with most of her fellow players, she kept her eyes glued to the floor as they backed up the dancers. In 1946, at the end of WWII, Mary Jane fell in love with and married Stephen M. DuBois, who preceded her in death in 1978. Mary Jane utilized her skills in finance to serve the City of South Bend at the South Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant and the South Bend Housing Authority. While having a full work life, she raised their six children. Mary Jane had a second true love in her life, Maurice “Maury” Martens. She married him in 1980 and increased the size of her family by eagerly embracing his two sons. She also adopted her children’s spouses, no matter how long they were married, and some beyond the breakup of a relationship. And they adopted her. When Maury passed, she took his spirit with her in her RV as she crossed the country to visit loved ones, “I was never scared, because he was sitting right beside me on every trip.” In her later years, Mary Jane especially loved visits from the little ones, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and grand and great-grandnieces and nephews. At the very end of her life, one of her last requests was to hold her most recently born great-grandchild in her arms. Mary Jane was once asked why she preferred to be called by both her first and middle names. She replied, “I am not worthy to share the name of God’s mother.” There are many, many souls who disagree.

Our hearts are heavy
With your passing,
Yet, your enduring love,
Mary Jane Martens,
Consoles and comforts us.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00am on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Parish, 2114 E Jefferson Blvd, South Bend. Graveside services and burial will follow at Highland Cemetery, South Bend. Friends may visit with the family for one hour prior to mass on Tuesday in the church. Palmer Funeral Home - River Park Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.Memorial contributions may be directed to either St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Parish 2114 E Jefferson Blvd, South Bend, IN 46615 or Center for Hospice, 501 Comfort Pl, Mishawaka, IN 46545. Online condolences may be left for the Martens family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.