Mary Jane Fothergill

Mary Jane Fothergill died May 13, 2024 at The Springs at Lancaster, Salem, Oregon. She was accompanied on this final journey by Willamette Vital Health Hospice, the caregivers at The Springs and her family and friends.

Mary Jane was born in Canton, Ohio on June 7, 1931 to John Daniel Rinehart and Edna Mae (Young) Rinehart. She grew up in Chicago, Oklahoma, San Francisco, Brooklyn, NY and La Grange, IL. She graduated from Lyons Township High school and Junior College in La Grange Illinois. In 1954 she received her BS degree in sociology and nursing from Northwestern University and her RN from Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital. While a Northwestern she met Ralph Fothergill, a seminary student at Garrett Bible Institute. They married, June 19, 1954 and lived in Michigantown, Indiana where he had a student parish. Their first child June Ann was born in Michigantown. Soon after they moved to Wilder, Idaho and began their career as a Methodist church ministry family in the Idaho Conference and later the Oregon Idaho Conference of the United Methodist church. In Wilder their second daughter Ruth Kay was born. They then moved to Jerome, Idaho where their third daughter Linda Joy was born. Mary Jane and Ralph went on to serve churches in Meridian, Idaho, Lebanon, Oregon, Klamath Falls, Oregon and Rockwood in Portland, Oregon. Throughout this ministry Mary Jane maintained her nursing license and worked part time at various local hospitals.

In 1978 when they moved to Klamath Falls, she decided to work full time as a mental health nurse. She worked at Merle West Medical Center, Klamath Falls, Klamath Falls Hospice, Mental Health Center in Vancouver, WA and Mt Hood Mental Health Center. In her nursing career she not only cared for ill persons, but mentored and trained other staff. She spent nine years volunteering for Girl Scouts leading troop and organizing new ones. For 70 years she volunteered in the United Methodist Church teaching classes, directing vacation church schools, leading camps and youth groups and providing spiritual direction. She started and ran a Hydo- therapy program in Lebanon, Oregon sponsored by Oregon Arthritis and Rheumatism foundation. She was named Lebanon’s woman of the year in 1974.

Mary Jane served on the board and helped to found the Klamath Hospice in 1978-9. She also worked for the Klamath Falls Hospice for a short time. After retirement she studied Spiritual Direction at Mt Angel. She also travelled to Hawaii, Alaska and Europe with her husband Ralph until his death in 1996. After his death she moved to Salem, Oregon and continued to travel. She went on a mission trip to Bolivia and travelled alone to Brazil and Bolivia to visit an exchange student son and daughter and their families.

Friendships, new and old, spiritual openness to God, family love and helping others maintain their mental and spiritual health were important aspects of Mary Jane’s life. She cared deeply about others and the world because she believed that God loved her and the whole world. She kept learning all her life even in the tough times. She embraced change openly such as lovingly accepting her trans grandson Andy in his transition.

She is survived by her three daughters: June Fothergill and spouse Jim English, Ruth Fothergill and spouse Tom Misa and Linda Bednarz and spouse Warren Bednarz; her seven grandchildren: David and Joseph English, Christopher Misa and wife Li Tao, Henry Misa, Stephanie Bednarz, Trevor Bednarz and wife Katie and Andy Bednarz. She has two great grandchildren: Daniel and Owen Bednarz. She has one brother, Dick Rinehart, of Dallas, TX and three nieces and one nephew. She is preceded in death by her husband Ralph Fothergill and her parents Dan and Edna Rinehart. Her celebration of life will be June 8 at 10 am at Trinity United Methodist Church, Salem, Oregon. Memorials can be made to any ministry of the United Methodist Church or any justice cause of your choice.