Mary Youngblood Obituary

Mary Jo Youngblood, 78, passed away suddenly on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
Known to most as "Bubby," Mary Jo lived a life devoted to faith, family and friends, and most definitely fun. Mary Jo was the fourth of the late Olive and Joe Louisell's ten children. A lifelong Grosse Pointe resident, Mary Jo graduated from the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Star of the Sea High School, and Marquette University, obtaining her degree in dental hygiene. She spent her entire dental hygiene career working for the late Gerald Coyle, DDS, then began a second career giving Martha Stewart a run for her empire. Mary Jo was a true "hostess with the mostest" who opened her home to all for any and every occasion, treating everyone to a warm embrace, delicious food, plentiful wine, and of course great music (Louisell Christmases were legendary). She shared her love of cooking and entertaining with her three daughters who will spend the rest of their lives striving to meet the Bubby Standard.
Mary Jo loved playing any kind of racquet sport - and while she may not have always been the best player on the court, she was definitely the best dressed. She later added golf to her sports repertoire while still managing to squeeze in her tennis matches. She made lifelong friendships with her tennis, paddle, and golf friends, sharing as many memories off the courts and course as they did on. Mary Jo devoted countless hours to causes she cared about and continued to be an active member of both the Tau Beta Society and Junior League of Detroit, in addition to visiting Children's Hospital as Tigger the Tiger, tutoring Detroit schoolchildren, teaching catechism, and giving hearing tests to newborns at St. John throughout the years.
But her most cherished roles were as wife, mother, grandmother (aka Bubby), and sister. Mary Jo and John shared almost 57 years of marriage and countless adventures, near and far. Their deep and enduring love remains an example to all. Mary Jo was the best sister to her sisters by blood and to those she gained by marriage. She taught her own girls by example how special that sister relationship is. Despite the distance between Bubby and her children's families, she was determined to be present for events big and small, and maintained a close relationship with each one of them.
Mary Jo is survived by her husband, John, and children, Kristen Walker (Richard), Courtenay Jalics (Tom), and Lindsay Kamdar (Dev); grandchildren Cameron and Olivia Walker, Samantha, Ryan, and Lauren Jalics, and Owen, Anand, and Kiran Kamdar; and siblings Constance "Midgie" Fannon, Paul Louisell (Kit), Marcia McFawn (Joe), and Olivene "Livvie" Lutfy (Jim); and countless nieces and nephews who also loved and adored Bubby. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by siblings Julie Bourke, Joseph Louisell, Jr., John Louisell, Gregory Louisell and James Louisell.
A Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 from 4:00pm-8:00pm at Chas. Verheyden Inc., 16300 Mack Avenue. Family will be receiving visitors at 9:30 am on Thursday, July 17, 2025 at St. Paul's on the Lake Catholic Church, with a funeral mass immediately following at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Mary Jo's memory to the Solanus Casey Center at www.solanuscasey.org
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary, please visit our floral store.