Mary Jo Ziarnik, age 76, a Manitowoc resident, passed away Monday, March 23, 2026, at Froedtert Holy Family Memorial Hospital, Manitowoc.

She was born March 18, 1950, in Manitowoc, daughter of the late Chester M. and Violet Rose (Gerl) Ziarnik.

Mary Jo attended St. Boniface Grade School, Washington Jr. High and Lincoln High School (LHS), graduating from the class of 1968.   She was a talented athlete who played basketball, softball, tennis, track and field where she competed in discus, shotput and even the baseball throw in high school.  Mary Jo (Zoe) was a member of the LHS GAA, where she was both a Sports Head and past President.  After HS she continued to play basketball and softball in local recreational leagues.

Mary Jo was a member of the Girl Scouts (GS) from grade school to Senior Scouts in HS and was a camp counselor at Camp Evelyn in Plymouth.   She loved the Minnesota/Canada boundary waters canoe trips.  Her involvement in GS led her to summertime employment for the Ruby Ellis / Barbara Mordvinoff family at "The Woods" on Big Lake in Manitowish Waters, WI for several years.  After graduation from HS, she traveled to Hampton, New Jersey to continue to work for the family as a governess of their three children.  During her employment as governess, she lived in Boston, MA with son Pete and her duties took her to Europe with the family.  Pete affectionally gave her the nickname of "Jerry Mo" and said she was his special cousin and friend.

Years later, Mary Jo returned to Manitowoc and worked as a dental assistant for Dr. Sell at Park Dental clinic.  She worked with an incredible team of other technicians and dentists.  Mary Jo also worked for a short time as a brakeman for the Union Pacific Railroad in Cheyenne, WY.

However, Mary Jo was encouraged by her sister, Michele, to join her in the military. She then enlisted in the United States Air Force (USAF), proudly serving from 1978 until her honorable discharge in 1986 with the rank of Staff Sargeant.   She was an Aircraft Mechanic Systems Evaluator and Maintenance Team Chief / Crew Chief (F-4 and F-16 Aircraft).  Mary Jo was stationed at Hill AFB, UT, Nellis AFB, NV and she had a temporary duty tour (TDY) in Norway.   Her last duty station was Edwards AFB, CA.

Following her military service she worked for:  Rockwell International as an Aircraft Mechanic and Inspector of B1B Aircraft, Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company as a Safety and Quality Engineer, and General Dynamics as a Flight A Electronics Inspector.  Mary Jo was also involved with the "stealth bomber" project.

During her USAF and defense contractor career, she was presented the following awards and honors:  Honor Graduate Basic Military Training, Crew Chief of the Month (twice), Outstanding Crew Chief Coronet Falcon, Feature article in the Profile Magazine, Employee of the Month, Good Design Fine Workmanship, Outstanding USAF Aircraft Maintenance Technician/Supervisor, Outstanding Commendation – General Dynamics.

Upon returning to Wisconsin, she was employed by various manufacturers in quality and production positions.  Mary Jo also worked in the family decorated apparel business, Military Promotional Source (MPS) and did some caregiving for Home Instead.

Mary Jo loved the challenge of repairing or servicing her own car, plumbing, lawn mowers, in addition to building things.   Her mantra is best described in the following statement on her T-shirt, "I FIX STUFF, and I know things, that's what I do".  She also enjoyed woodworking, leather work, jewelry making and creative expressions of her talents.   Simple things like cutting grass and tending to her flower garden brought her much joy.  She enjoyed nature, animals, her cats, Ebby, Dusty, and her niece dog, Peanut.

In 2005, she assumed the role as Guardian for her brother, Douglas, and shared one-on-one caregiving with her sister, Michele, for his daily needs.   Her special brother was the love of her life.  She was very proud of his accomplishments and the fine man he had become.   In recent years, she couldn't take part in his daily caregiving but sharing a meal, celebrating birthdays and holidays and just hanging out together brought her much joy.  They both had a special brother/sister relationship.

Mary Jo is survived by her brother, Douglas Ziarnik, who passed shortly after Mary Jo on March 25, 2026, and her sister, Michele Ziarnik, Manitowoc; special cousins, Johanna (John) Kubicek and their daughter Samantha, Oak Creek, Steve Peck, Cape Coral, Florida, Todd Svacina, Delores Haag, Manitowoc, and Marlene Mertens, Manitowoc; a special niece, Mallorie Tadych, Manitowoc; special friend, Pete Mordvinoff, Manitowish Waters, as well as other cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents: Chester and Violet Ziarnik; paternal grandparents, Mary and Wenzel Ziarnik; maternal grandparents, Joseph and Mary (Hufp) Gerl; aunts and uncles, Tillie Armbruster, Floyd Armbruster, and Dorothy (Louis "Buddy") Svacina; cousins, Leon (Gail) Armbruster, Faye (Svacina) Peck, Terry Svacina; a great aunt and great uncle, Ida and George Burkhart; as well as other relatives and friends.

Funeral services for Mary Jo and her brother, Douglas Ziarnik, will be held at 12:00 p.m., noon on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Calvary Catholic Mausoleum, 2601 S. 14th Street, Manitowoc. Officiating at the service will be Chaplain Nancy Twichell and the Rev. David Beaudry. Military honors will be accorded by American Legion Post 88 of Manitowoc.

The family will greet relatives and friends from 10:30 a.m. until the time of the service at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Calvary Catholic Mausoleum, Manitowoc.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary Jo's name to Lakeshore Humane Society, 1551 N. 8th Street, Manitowoc, or to a veteran organization of your choice.

The Harrigan Parkside Funeral Home, Manitowoc, is assisting the Ziarnik family with funeral arrangements. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family by visiting www.harriganparksidefuneralhome.com.

The family wishes to thank Mary Jo's health care angels at Holy Family Memorial Hospital, Mary Jo's VA transport drivers, her healthcare team at the VA Clinic in Cleveland and Sharon Richardson Hospice for the care and compassion they have shown Mary Jo and her family.  Also, a special thank you to Judy Eiles, Chris Eiles, Connie Rysticken, Merrily Zimmer, Mickey May, Michelle Anderson, Kay Steuer, and Nan Oswald for their time and love shown to Mary Jo.