Mary Jo Z. Maercklein

Mary Jo Z. Maercklein, loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend, went to rest with God on January 3, 2025. A devout Catholic and active community member, she devoted her energy to making the world a better place.

Born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on December 31, 1940, to Francis E. and Dorothy Zummach (nee Cunningham), Mary Jo was shortly followed in the family by her beloved brother, Jerry, whom she called “Poopsa.” She excelled in her education, overcoming her initial misgivings at skipping a grade as a young student to maintain her position at the top of her class at Sheboygan’s North High School. Among her many social and club-based affiliations during this time, she served as co-news editor for her school’s bi-weekly newspaper, the Urbanite. Mary Jo was well-read, clever with words and precise in communication, which she used as a vehicle to maintain fond, warm relationships all her life. 

Upon her graduation, she attended Creighton University, but ultimately transferred to Marquette University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1962. Shortly thereafter she married her high school sweetheart, Leslie Maercklein, and the couple moved to Madison, WI, where Mary Jo taught English and history at Edgewood High School.

The couple soon moved to Philadelphia, where Mary Jo gave birth to her son, Eric, in 1963, and her daughter, Elizabeth, in 1965. The young family moved to Delmar, where Mary Jo quickly became involved in her new community and parish, St. Thomas the Apostle. Her two younger sons, Christopher and Kevin, were born in 1968 and 1975, respectively.

The daughter of an attorney and professional and college basketball coach, Mary Jo appreciated her blessings and strove to give back with her time and care. After joining the Junior League of Albany, Mary Jo worked at the Next To New Consignment Shop in Albany until it closed. She curated and admired beautiful outdoor spaces with the Delmar Garden Club, and she hosted inner city children in her home through the Fresh Air Fund. She was a dedicated parishioner at St. Thomas in Delmar, where she served as a Eucharistic minister.

She has touched the lives of many but lovingly shaped those of her four children and ten grandchildren, who survive her, along with her husband Les.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday, January 9 from 4 to 7 pm at Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave., Delmar. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10:30 am Friday, January 10 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 35 Adams Pl., Delmar. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Glenmont.

Donations in her memory may be made to The Community Hospice-Albany Inn at: www.givetocommunityhospice.org, in the dropdown choose “Albany Inn”.