OBITUARY for my sister: (please share if you know someone who knew her)
On Monday, July 26, 2021, Mary Jo Kittok, a lover of life and family, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 60 in Moreno Valley, CA. Mary Jo was born on October 27, 1960 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin to Vincent and Patricia (Ledwein) Kittok.
Mary Jo was the fifth of seven children. She grew up in La Crescent, Minnesota until her family moved to Annandale, MN in 1973. She graduated in the Annandale High School Class of 1979. When she was 16, the trajectory of her life was changed when she lost her left leg due to cancer. She did not let it deter her though. She went on to attend St. Cloud State University and graduated with a Global Studies Major and a minor in Spanish.
Mary Jo had a love for flowers and worked at many flower shops throughout her high school & college years. Her dream was to open a flower shop, but instead, she used her floral skills for her family and friends’ events.
Following her graduation from college, Mary Jo ventured into the world of athletics. From 1986 to 2004, she competed globally in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, weightlifting, track & field, and swimming. She competed and medaled in multiple Paralympic Games, was a 5-time national champion in basketball, American record holder in weightlifting, shot put, and javelin, and among the top-ranked wheelchair tennis players. Additionally, she was the 1991 U.S. Open Wheelchair doubles champion with Nancy Olson.
Her athletic career gave her the opportunity to travel across the world. She traveled to Denmark, Russia, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Costa Rica, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, England, and Venezuela.
While traveling and competing in the Paralympic Games, she met her life partner, Curtis Bell, another Paralympic athlete. Curtis gave Mary Jo her greatest joy in life, her son, Adam Kittok Bell. She also is a stepmother to William and Amanda, and grandmother to four.
Following her retirement from athletics, Mary Jo became an advocate for disability rights. She worked to make the world a better place for people like herself.
Most of all, Mary Jo loved family and friends. Mary Jo was a caring woman who was willing to help anyone in need. She loved to cook and entertain. Her friends would tell you that she was the “glue” who kept them all together for many years. She had a contagious laugh and a knack for storying-telling- especially about her travel adventures. She will be deeply missed.
Mary Jo was preceded in death by her father, Vincent, her mother, Patricia, and her infant brother Paul and her brother Steven. She is survived by her partner Curtis, her son, Adam, stepchildren Amanda, and William, her four grandchildren, her siblings Kathy Dammann, John (Gretchen) Kittok, Debbie (Michael) Walker, Luanne (Bruce) Landgraf, and her 11 nieces and nephews.
Burial will be held on September 19, 2021, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Delano, MN, at noon. Following the burial, there will be a luncheon reception and short program at Maple Lake Legion. Any donations will go towards the cost of the burial, service, gravestone, and family travel from CA to MN. Donations can be sent to P.O Box 1015, Annandale, MN 55302. Payable to William Dammann or venmo @William-Dammann
