Mary Jo Vitek was born on November 2, 1926 in Baltimore, MD. She was the 5 ^th of 6 children born to Ignatius and Mabel Offley Ayd. Growing up in Baltimore amongst the large Ayd clan, Mary Jo attended St. Andrew's Catholic School and the Institute of Notre Dame High School. During WWII she worked for the Baltimore Health Department as s secretary. In 1947 she married C. Glenn LeRoy and gave birth to two children, Glenn and Susan before her husband's untimely death in 1950.

In 1953 she married William J. Vitek, who moved with the family from Baltimore to Santa Monica, CA. for his work with IBM. Three more girls were added to the family there: Cheryl (deceased 1995), Deborah (deceased 1968), and Patricia. In 1959 IBM moved the family to Poughkeepsie, NY where daughters Barbara and Jacqueline were born. In 1968, IBM again moved the family back to California. The family settled in the up and coming Silicon Valley. While in Saratoga, Mary Jo was active in the Newcomers Club, Welcome Wagon, the Valley Woman's League and Young Ladies Institute at Sacred Heart Church. Mary Jo and Bill delighted in hosting parties, including many wedding receptions, around their pool and in their backyard for family and friends. They both were accomplished ballroom dancers and enjoyed going to parties and events where they could dance. When asked if she worked, Mary Jo always said yes she did, she raised 7 children.

After her husband Bill's death in 2010, Mary Jo moved to Los Gatos, where she lived until her health declined. For the last 6 months of her life her children and grandson Bradley cared for her while waiting for an assisted living apartment to become available at Villa Siena in Mtn. View. She was able to spend just one night in her new studio before succumbing on December 21, 2017.

Mary Jo will forever be remembered by remarks she made such as, "Goody, goody gumdrops!" and "Such a treat!" when offered something she liked. She enjoyed playing Scrabble and when she couldn't find a competitor she played alone with a tile set for Mary and a tile set for Jo!

Mary Jo leaves behind her sister Vera Michael of Santa Cruz, CA, her brother, Richard Ayd of Baltimore MD and her children: Glenn (Ellen) of Mission Viejo, CA; Susan Kranich of San Jose; Patricia Phillips (Gary) of Mill Valley, CA; Barbara Olsthoorn (Steven Crane), of Boca Raton, FL; and Jacqui Naylor (Art Khu) of San Francisco. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren: Katherine Koch, Mary Rath, Joseph Vitek, Glenn Kranich, Allison Kranich, Bradley Kranich, James Phillips, Natalie Phillips, Robert, Olsthoorn, Luc Olsthoorn and Lily Olsthoorn, and 10 great-grand children: Alex, Marcus, Justin and Colin Rath, Connor and Timothy Koch, Cian Vitek, Katelyn and Wyatt Kranich, and Ainsley Kranich-Lallana, and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husbands and 2 daughters, Mary Jo was preceded in death by her brother Jacque Ayd and her sisters, Violet Jasper and Madeline Notarange.

A rosary service will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 13716 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070. Her funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart on Saturday, February 3, 2017 at 1 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sacred Heart Church, or Sacred Heart School at the above address.

You may view a YouTube video of Mary Jo's growing up and with her family at:

https://youtu.be/Cn80CB-SnjY