Obituary of Mary Jane Nelson

Mary Jane Nelson, nee Link, age 82, late of Joliet, and formerly of Minooka, passed away peacefully, Sunday, March 2, 2025, at Lightways Hospice, with her daughter by her side.

Born March 26, 1942, in Joliet, the daughter of the late Joseph and Sophie (Tomac) Link, she grew up in Crest Hill and was a graduate of St. Francis Academy.

She began working for the former Joliet Federal Savings and Loan for several years prior to starting her family and being a stay at home wife and mother.  She later resumed her career at the bank working in the appraisal and loan departments, retiring from the then Amerifed Federal Savings Bank in Shorewood.

Mary Jane was a loving wife and a devoted and attentive mother.  She was actively involved in all of her daughter’s school and social activities, and especially relished being a room mother many years.  She was always very family-oriented, and growing up enjoyed a close relationship with all her cousins.  She also loved reading and cooking.

She married the love of her life, Leonard A. Nelson, in 1968, and they enjoyed 45 years of marriage until his passing on January 17, 2014. 

Surviving are her beloved daughter and son-in-law, Gina Marie and Donald J. Byers of Joliet.

Visitation for Mary Jane Nelson will be held Wednesday, March 5, 2025, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Road, Joliet.  Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 10:45 a.m. from the funeral home to St. Mary Nativity Catholic Church, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m.  Interment will follow in St. Mary Nativity Cemetery, Crest Hill.

For more information, please call (815) 741-5500 or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com.