Mary Jo Deignan

Mary Jo passed away at home on Saturday, January 17, 2026, just a few days short of her 90th birthday. Her dear, loyal dog Max was with her.

Mary Jo was born in Orange, NJ to Dr. William and Josephine Deignan. She is predeceased by her brothers William (Bill) and Patrick and her sister Anne and her nephews William and Michael Harris. Her sister Grace survives her, along with her nieces Mary Jo (Harris - Brian Sullivan), Josephine (Jodie Deignan), Kathleen (Katie Boemecke - David), April (Johannes - Philip) and nephews Patrick (Harris), Patrick (Deignan) and Edward (Ted Harris - Janel).

Arlington is where Mary Jo's heart was, but she grew up in New Jersey and was a tremendously accomplished music teacher in the NJ public schools and at Mount St. Dominick high school and Fordham University prep.

Since relocating to Vermont, Mary Jo enjoyed a vibrant life full of friends, music, gardening, tennis, pickleball, furniture restoration and so much more! Mary Jo played the piano at the Equinox resort, the Arlington Inn, for special events at Hildene and for countless weddings and celebrations. She published 5 music collections from the great American songbook. We can't overstate how important a role music was in Mary Jo's life and how much joy she shared with her playing.

We are heartbroken by the loss of Mary Jo but we are comforted by knowing she lived her life fully and on her own terms. She was a staunch friend and ally to those she loved. She had so many friends in the Arlington area. While we can't list them all, Mary Jo's family has special thanks and gratitude to Chris Meyer for her generosity and support to us.

We plan to hold a celebration of Mary Jo's life in the spring, after mud season, so we can all gather in Arlington to share our memories. We look forward to hearing your stories. Thank you for holding Mary Jo in your hearts.

In lieu of flowers Mary Jo’s family respectfully requests you consider donations to the Green Mountain Pug Rescue (gmpr.org) or a charity of your choice.