Mary Jolene Ohl

Born in Oelwein, Iowa on December 2nd, 1952 Departed on October 25, 2025 in Wyoming, MN.

Mary Jo Ohl, 72, died Saturday morning, October 25, 2025 at The Meadows care facility in Wyoming, MN.

Mary Jo was born in Oelwein, Iowa on December 2nd, 1952 and was the daughter of Donald and Mary (Barnes) Ohl. She attended school in Fairbank until moving to Oelwein in 1962. She graduated high school from Sacred Heart in 1971. Mary Jo attended Ellsworth College in Iowa Falls for a year before finishing her Bachelor’s degree in social work at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, MN. She attained her master’s of social work degree from The University of Minnesota in Duluth, MN. In 1981 while in graduate school she spent a summer in Belize working with the Belize City Human Development Center.

Mary Jo worked for Crow Wing County in Minnesota as a social worker for a few years after graduation before moving to her beloved Minneapolis. She worked for Hennepin County as a case manager and as a Child Protection Investigator. She was a tireless advocate for her clients with an unshakable sense of social equity. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, she loved raising German Shepards, and Siamese cats. Her friends knew her as a strong, willful and independent woman. She was not hesitant to come to the aid of friends and she enjoyed sharing a glass of wine and many laughs. She was admired by her friends for her woodworking skills.

Mary Jo is survived by her brothers, Greg and Chintana Ohl of Kissimmee, FL; Mike and Diane Ohl of Bemidji, MN; William Ohl of Wyoming, MN; half-sisters Donna Kim of Kaneohe, HI; and Tanwaporn Ohl of Minneapolis MN; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents; her sister Hollie; sister-in-law Karen (William).

A Celebration of Life will be held in the near future.

Mary Jo Ohl Memorial Video