Mary Jo Plowman Connell, BHS 1945

Mary Jo (Joey) Plowman Connell passed away on December 29, 2018 in Ojai, California. She was 91 years-old. She was born on September 26, 1927 in Burbank, California. Joey and Gene were married on February 14, 1948 and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with family and friends in 2018.

She earned a "BA" at CSUN and served as a probation officer in Ventura county for 10 years. She obtained her private pilot's license in 1979 and became a member of the Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots. She remained a member until her death and was active in the organization for many years.

Joey and Gene moved to Independence, Oregon when they retired. They built a house with an airplane hangar adjacent to the Independence airport and lived there for 13 years before returning to California. While in Oregon, she worked as a volunteer for the CASA program (Court Appointed Special Advocate), an organization representing children who are wards of the court. Her final act of volunteerism was that she donated her body to scientific research.

Mary Jo is survived by her husband, Eugene Connell, her 4 children, David Connell, in Salem, Oregon, Christina Kirk, in Victorville, California, twin sons, Mark Connell, in San Jose, California, and Alan Connell, in Ojai, California, 15 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.

From the Senior Bulldogs