Mary Jo McCawley

Mary Jo McCawley passed away peacefully in her home on February 22, 2026. She was born on March 12, 1957, in Davenport, Iowa, to Rosalie Ann Countryman (née Kier) and Clarence Richard Countryman. She and her siblings later moved to Chicago, where she grew up with her mother, Rosalie, her stepfather, Wilbert Heesemann, and her bonus brothers, Robert and James.

Mary Jo graduated from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa, and began her career working in the crime lab for the Chicago Police Department. She trained as a forensic chemist and went on to hold several positions in chemical and forensic laboratories over the course of her career. Her life journey took her first to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she met the love of her life, Terry McCawley, while square dancing. They were married on September 10, 1988, beginning a partnership filled with love, adventure, and laughter.

They moved to to Wichita, Kansas for a season and eventually, Mary Jo and Terry settled in Aurora, Colorado, where she retired from the Aurora Police Department Crime Lab. Retirement suited her well. Mary Jo and Terry embraced life fully, traveling often with their beloved boxer, Kiera - tent camping, RV trailer camping, and cruising the seas together. Some of Mary Jo’s most cherished memories were camping as a child in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters and later in Colorado in Mushroom Gulch near Buena Vista.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Mary Jo was a gifted and curious soul. She loved creating and building stained glass projects, needlepoint, floral arrangements and other crafts, filling her home - and the homes of others - with color and light. She was an active member of her community center, whether it was book club, mahjong, or the morning coffee klatch, and she found true joy in stories, conversation, and community.

Mary Jo leaves behind her devoted partner, Terry McCawley, and one of her most faithful companions, her beloved dog, Kiera. She is also survived by her bonus mom, Patricia Countryman; Bob (Linda) Heesemann; Jim Heesemann; her brother, Richard (Jana) Countryman; her sister, Elizabeth “Cricket” (Michael) Strohmayer; and many dearly loved nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Rosalie Heesemann; her father, Clarence Countryman; her stepfather, Wilbert Heesemann; and her sister-in-law, Nora Heesemann.