Maryjane Elizabeth Leusner

Mary Jane Leusner, 80, of Tacoma, passed away peacefully on October 31st with her loving family by her side.  She died from complications of dementia related to primary progressive aphasia.

Mary Jane was born in Saratoga Springs, NY on July 8, 1943 to Mac and Dot McWilliams.  She grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho with her siblings, Charles, Patti and Bob.  She was involved in many sports and activities, including her two passions, horseback riding and downhill skiing.  Her summers were spent competing in Arabian horse shows and winters were spent in Sun Valley downhill racing.

In 1965, she graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in Business Administration.  She met the love of her life, John Leusner, that same year while water skiing with mutual friends.  They were married on August 6th, 1966 and soon welcomed twins, John and Charles in 1967, followed by the birth the next year of Rosemary in 1968.

In 1974, the family had the wonderful opportunity to move to Vienna, Austria, which always had a special place in her heart, which she would often visit in later years.  From their six years in Europe, Mary Jane developed a life-long love of travel, which initially took her all over Europe followed by more adventures in Egypt, Russia and many countries in Asia.  In 1980, Mary Jane welcomed her 4th child, Christer.

In their retirement years, she and John settled on Lummi Island where they enjoyed the peaceful and serene ‘island life’ which they both cherished with walks on the beach, boat trips, happy hour on the deck and many lovely visits from friends and family.

She was predeceased by her son John in 1996, and is survived by her adoring husband, John and her children, Charles (Susan) of Tacoma, Rosemary (Anthony Key) of Singapore, and Christer (Dana Van Aken) of West Seattle.  She is also survived by her siblings, Charles (Nadine) McWilliams of Sun Valley, Patti (Brent) Paxton, of Twin Falls, and Bob (Pat) McWilliams of San Diego, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Perhaps one of the most fulfilling aspects of Mary Jane’s life was being an amazing grandmother to her 5 grandchildren, Coco, Bode, Sofia, Ethan and James.  She never let distance keep her from establishing a warm relationship and creating lovely memories with all of them.  They will greatly miss their Oma.

She brought so much joy, laughter and fun to everyone she came across and will be sorely missed by all.

The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to Nicole Keller, who went above and beyond as a caregiver and provided immense support and love to the whole family during what was a very difficult time.