Mary Cordell Obituary

Mary Jo Cordell (Lawson)
Mary Jo Cordell (Lawson)
Mary Jo (Sherburne) Cordell was born on December 17, 1929, in Coldwater, MI, to Virgil Arthur and Mary Katherine (Gruner) Sherburne. The family moved to Battle Creek in 1936. Mary Jo is a graduate of Battle Creek Central High School, class of 1947, and attended Argubright Business College in Battle Creek. She is also an alumna of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti where she was a member of the Stoic Society and Phi Kappa Phi honor fraternities.
She married Allen C. Lawson, Jr., in 1950, and they made their home in Ypsilanti. He preceded her in death in 1988. After his death she endowed the Willow Run School District with funds to create the Allen C. Lawson, Jr., Mathematics Scholarship.
On August 3, 1991, she married Carl Leonard Cordell of Belleville, and they made their home in Chelsea.
Mary Jo retired as an administrator at the University of Michigan Law School's Child Advocacy Law Clinic in 1992. Prior to that she was Executive Assistant to Florine Mark, President of Weight Watchers Group, Inc., in Southfield, and at one time was Assistant Executive Vice President of the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors.
Extremely active in Republican politics, she held various offices in the Ypsilanti Township Republican Party, as well as serving on the executive board of the 15th District Republican Committee. She coordinated many political campaigns.
She was a past President of the Ypsilanti Players, acting in many of their productions. Her favorite pastime in later years, however, was writing books for her grandchildren. She authored adventure stories set in World War II as well as teddy bear stories for her youngest granddaughter. She never sought publications, feeling that her stories were private.
For many years she was second Vice President and Public Relations Officer for Chapter 304 of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). For seven years she and her husband, Carl, a federal retiree, published the monthly NARFE chapter newsletter. In their spare time they became world travelers, visiting every continent except South America.
At the time of her death, Mary Jo was a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chelsea, and was a former member of St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ypsilanti, at one time, serving as its President.
She is survived by her sons, Bradford (Cheryl) Lawson of Bremerton, WA, and Andrew (Megan) Lawson of Ypsilanti; stepsons, James (Nancy) Cordell of Crown Point, IN, and Charles (Cheri) Cordell of Davison; stepdaughter-in-law, Denise Cordell of Boulder Creek, CA; grandson, Joshua Lawson; granddaughters, Rachel, Brittany, Heather, and Bridget; numerous step-grandchildren; and step-great-grandchildren. In addition to Allen, and Carl who preceded her in death on June 19, 2015, she was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Marian Zang, Geraldine (John) Jackson, and Carol (Lawrence) Odette; brother, Virgil Sherburne; and son, Theodore Lawson.
Cremation has taken place. A Memorial Service will be held Friday, December 13, 2024, 1:30 p.m. in the Towsley Chapel at the Chelsea Retirement Community, 805 W. Middle St., Chelsea, MI 48118. Family and friends are welcome in the Oasis at Towlsey for a reception after the service. Burial will be at Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Freedom Township. Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3050 S. Fletcher Rd., Chelsea, MI 48118 (https://www.zionchelsea.org/).