Mary Jo Brown (LaValley)

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Mary Jo Brown (LaValley). Mary passed away peacefully in her home in Cranbrook, BC, on September 2, 2022. Mary will be remembered for her kind heart, generous nature, and nurturing spirit.

Mary was born in Calgary, AB, and moved to Cranbrook, BC, in 1984, where she has resided ever since. Mary was a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother full of unconditional love and support for her family. Mary devoted her time and energy to her son’s interests and activities when they were young. She enjoyed spending countless hours watching their hockey and baseball games as well as travelling to tournaments on the weekends with the their teams. Mary was overjoyed to become a grandmother and never missed an opportunity to spend time with her grandchildren. She had a special relationship with each of her four grandchildren with whom she took every opportunity to ensure they knew they were loved and special. She loved spending time with her grandchildren on the farm and attending their activities to support them and cheer them on. 

Mary had a deep love and appreciation for nature and loved to spend her time outdoors. Her favourite place was out on the farm with her husband, Fred, where they enjoyed taking in the view of Fisher Peak, and stargazing off the back deck in the evenings together. She took special care of all the animals on the farm as well as caring for others’ pets with her Critter Sitter business, which she deeply enjoyed. Mary had a passion for gardening and loved sharing her harvests and preserves with others. She had a collection of unique rocks and plants from her travels and always had an interesting story to share about each of them. Mary loved exploring the East Kootenays with her husband on their side by side where she not only loved the scenery and company but the opportunity to find special rocks along the way.

Mary has gained many special friends throughout her life through family, sports, volunteering, working, and while engaged in ladies golf and the ATV club. She was involved in several local clubs including Cranbrook Minor Hockey, Cranbrook Minor Ball, and the Cranbrook Garden Club.  Later in her retirement, Mary was the Acting President of the Kootenay Rockies ATV Club. She was an avid fan of the Kootenay Ice and Cranbrook Bucks hockey clubs where she held season tickets for both organizations.

Mary is survived by her husband Fred Brown, former husband Greg LaValley (Devona) and their sons: Mike LaValley (grandchildren: Olive and Cosmo), and Chris LaValley (Rebecca) (grandchildren: Vonn and Fenn), siblings Glenn (Bernadette), Donna (Ron), Shirley, and Ed.

Mary was preceded by her father G. William Clifford and her mother Lillian Clifford.

A Celebration of Mary’s life is planned to take place on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Details to follow.