Mary Alice Jennings Morrisette

Mary Morrisette made her final transition on the day of December 3, 2024, succumbing to glioblastoma cancer at her home in Cotati, California. Mary was 67 years old.

Mary had an enormous heart and the most beautiful smile. She had a wonderful sense of humor, witty and fun! Mary loved the ocean, the redwood forests, visits to Hawaii and swimming in the waters of Kauai, camping in the lakes near Mt. Shasta, riding the ferry on San Francisco Bay, going to the movies, her dog Sadie, and drinking matcha lattes at the local cafés. She was creative and had a keen eye for beautiful things that were sprinkled around her home. Mary is one of the rare people who always found time to send beautiful and heartfelt birthday cards to her family members and friends.

In the summer of 1978 Mary met the love of her life and beloved husband, Mark Morrisette. They were married for 43 years. Mary was a devoted mother to Josie & Tyler, who were her pride and joy. As an RN, Mary was always assisting her family and friends with medical questions and she attended the births of many of family and friends. Mary was a true connector and developed lasting friendships throughout her lifetime and into her illness. She treasured these relationships to her core.

Mary Alice Jennings, the eldest of five siblings, was born in St. Louis June 26, 1957, to Anna Francis Murphy and Jack Jennings. During her teenage years Mary's family lived in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Mary moved to Ashland, Oregon in 1977 and enrolled in nursing school at Southern Oregon State College and graduated with an Associate's degree and became a Registered Nurse in 1979. This is where she met Mark and in 1980 the couple spent a year traveling throughout the United States and Mexico camping in national parks and exploring the wilderness before their marriage in 1981 in Springfield Oregon.

In 1981 the couple moved to New Orleans where Mary was employed as a traveling nurse before relocating to Cotati, California in 1982 for Mary to attend Sonoma State University, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. Mary's educational and professional focus was Maternal Mother and Child/Pediatric Care which included a Midwifery Internship in Diablo Valley Midwifery Clinic.

Mary worked as a staff obstetrics nurse in the 1980s in several hospitals in Oregon and Sonoma County, California. In the 1990's Mary was an obstetrics nursing instructor at Dominican College in San Rafael, a school health nurse in the Southwest Santa Rosa Elementary Schools, and an Immunization Outreach Clinic Coordinator in Santa Rosa schools. In the 2000's Mary became an Advice Nurse for Kaiser Permanente specializing in obstetrics and pediatrics. In 2017 Mary was hired as an Alameda County Public Health Nurse in the Nurse Family Partnership Program and worked with at risk mothers and babies in Oakland and Alameda County. During the 2019 pandemic Mary was a frontline "first responder" who worked in the grueling conditions with other daring nurse-teammates in the Oakland East Bay region where she conducted Covid Testing, and administered vaccinations including working the Immunization and Testing programs with inmates released into the East Bay from the state prison system to ease overcrowding. Through it all, Mary's greatest love was working with new mothers and their babies to help them get a good start in the world.

An avid lover of the outdoors, Mary was known to walk in the local parks almost every day. Her favorite parks included the Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland, Crane Creek, Doran Beach, and Ragel Ranch parks in Sonoma County. Mary scaled the peak of Mt. Shasta, and walked and camped much of the northern California and Southern Oregon Coastlines. In the early 2000's Mary produced a series of camping instructional videos entitled, "Camping with Mary," as a guide for family members teaching them about the fundamentals and accessibilities of alpine camping. Mary loved singing and dancing, raising her family, and making her own cosmetics including lotion and lip balm.

Mary is survived by her husband Mark Morrisette, son Tyler Morrisette and his wife Tamrin Goldberg, and daughter Josie Morrisette; Mary's mother Ann Jennings, brother's John Jennings and his wife Cathy Kelly, brother Joe Jennings and his wife Sissy Jennings, and sister Sarah Doty and her husband Aaron Doty, and sister Nancy Benoist, and her husband Michael Benoist; step-mother Michiko Jennings, nieces and nephews Michelle Moller, and her husband Wesley Powell, Julia Doty, Jessica Doty, Joey Jennings, Sammy Jennings, Lindsie Scruton, Jack Benoist, and Yumi Benoist.

Proceeded in death by her firstborn daughter Jenny Morrisette, her sister Anna Jennings, father John Edwards "Jack" Jennings, Grandparents Joe and Ann Murphy, and John Edward Jennings and Mary Alice Jennings



A Celebration of Life 1 PM, Thursday, January 9, 2025, at Oakland Center for Spiritual Living, 5000 Clarewood Dr, Oakland, CA 94618.