In Memory of

Mary

Jo

Wilkinson

(Finley)

Obituary for Mary Jo Wilkinson (Finley)

Mary Jo Wilkinson, a long-time resident of Dallas, Texas, passed away on February 15, 2018, in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 91.
Mary Jo was born in Winthrop, Arkansas, to Joel Clifton Finley and Mary Evelyn (Stevenson) Finley on September 7, 1926. Mary Jo and Howard were married on December 5, 1942. Once month later, Howard joined the military and served in the European Theater of World War II until January 1946. After the war, the couple moved to Dallas where they adopted a son when he was one week old. Howard and Mary Jo were married for 71 years, always lovingly referring to one another as “my honey.”
Mary Jo loved hosting morning coffee for her neighbors while she looked out over her flower garden, passing walkers with their dogs, and the neighborhood. In her younger years, Mary Jo enjoyed cooking, entertaining, and trips to Las Vegas with her family. After her husband retired, the couple traveled in their RV, serving as campground hosts for the National Park Service for several summers. She was a member of the Walnut Hill Church of Christ, Dallas, and credited God for giving her a good life.
Kim Smith and other nieces and nephews survive Mary Jo. She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard Wilkinson, who died in 2013, their son, Stephen Howard Wilkinson, who died in 2007, her parents, Joel and Mary Finley, a brother, Lawrence Finley and one sister, Letha Ruth (Finley) Huggins.
Burial will be 10:15 AM, Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX 75211. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Walnut Hill Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas, 75229. Gratitude is extended to friends and neighbors who cared for Mary Jo in her final years, especially Tom Leka, Mary Beth Boehm, Jeff McKissack, and Kathy Porter.