Mary Jo Stonie

Mary Jo Stonie passed away peacefully in her beloved home in Hampton, New Hampshire on Monday, January 29, 2024. She was with her family and was visited by numerous friends and acquaintances wishing to say their goodbyes. Mary Jo was predeceased by her husband of 61 years, Reverend Henry Jon Stonie, in 2022. Mary Jo Stonie was born Mary Jo Czarick on September 25, 1936, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania to Alexander Czarick and Mary (Chuhrach) Czarick. Upon graduation from Pottstown High School, she moved to New York to pursue a career in the theater. That led her to join the celebrated Hedgerow Theatre Company in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania. She then earned her B.A. and M.A. in Communications at Emerson College in Boston. It was at Emerson College where she met a young teacher assistant, Henry Stonie. They married in 1961, and lived in Boston while raising their two sons, Dorian, and Henry Jr. The family moved to Hampton, New Hampshire in 1974. Mary Jo wore many hats. She was the owner and proprietor of the Dory In, a popular summer rental beach front property in Hampton. She was a substitute teacher in the Boston Unified School District. She was a managing partner at an estate auction house, Hallmark Gallery, in Boston. She also taught at John Robert Powers School of Modeling in Boston. She was a professional travel planner for Alpha Travel in Manchester, NH, and subsequently with Lotus Travel in Massachusetts. She was actively involved in her husband's two Unitarian Church Congregations in Dorchester, MA and Hampton Falls, NH. She was a member and served as President of the Salty Marsh Garden Club in Hampton. Mary Jo was an adventurer, traveling to 54 countries. She was a board member of the New England Chapter of PATA (Pacific Asian Travel Association). She instilled a love for travel to her two grandsons, Matthew, and Morgan, taking them to Great Britain, France, India, Nepal, China, South Korea, and Tanzania. Mary Jo was an avid scuba diver since 1993, when she earned her diver's certificate. She also played varsity golf and tennis in high school. Her day of rest was Saturday morning when she would tune into WUNH's "Polka Party" radio program, hosted by a good friend, Gary Sredzienski. Mary Jo is survived by her brothers, Alex Czarick, of Pottstown, and David Czarick, of Hampton, and their families. She is also survived by her sons, Dorian and Henry Stonie, Jr., and Cathy (Ogawa) Stonie, Carlos Soto-Chaves, Meilyn (Tran) Stonie, and her grandsons, Matthew Kai Stonie, and Morgan Joe Stonie. Mary Jo is now at peace, happily together with her beloved Henry again. A celebration of her life will be scheduled in the summer, her favorite time of year.

Mary Jo Stonie

September 25, 1936 - January 29, 2024