Mary Jo Holden, age 80, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family and friends. She was born in London, Ohio, on September 15, 1945. Her parents owned a greenhouse and florist shop. Mary Jo graduated from high school in 1963 from the Grier School for Girls in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. She earned a B.A. in English from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, in 1967, and completed her education in 1970 at the University of Kansas with a master’s in English. At KU she met Dave Holden, a fellow graduate student, who had similar interests in improving the lives of graduate students and opposing the Vietnam War. They married in 1969 and moved to Bloomington, Illinois, where Mary Jo gave birth to their wonderful daughter Lisa in 1972. They joined the Bloomington Unitarian church in 1975 and later became co-directors of the Religious Education program. At an early age Lisa showed a gift for dance, and Mary Jo always marveled at her incredible sense of balance.

After the family moved to Knoxville in 1978, Mary Jo continued as a stay-at-home mom. She enjoyed cooking, flower and vegetable gardening, sewing, knitting, and crocheting. She also helped make costumes for Lisa’s dance performances. A skillful organizer and editor, she later put her talents to work at the University of Tennessee in the Publications Bureau, from which she retired in 2010. She also volunteered at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist church, chairing an annual pledge canvass as well as serving on the Board of Directors and the Religious Education committee.

Mary Jo enjoyed hiking in the Smokies and the Cumberland Plateau and looked forward every year to spending a week with friends at North Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, relaxing on the beach and collecting shells and shark teeth. She traveled to many U.S. states and London, England, and she especially enjoyed Christmas vacations with family in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mary Jo is preceded in death by her parents, Gardner and Inez Thomas, and her beloved aunt, Emily Randall. She is survived by her loving husband Dave, daughter Lisa, and grandson Lucas Campos Holden; sister-in-law Suzi Holden; niece Tammy (Dario) Marcelja; grand-niece Emily (Dominic) Savinelli; and extended family and friends.