Mary Jo Barbarossa
From Eliafamily
Mary Jo Barbarossa
| Mary Jo Barbarossa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fact File | |
| Birth Date: | June 10, 1959 |
| Family Information | |
| Lineage: | Angela Ocello Lineage |
| Parent: | Marie Barbarossa |
| Siblings: | Angela St. John Michele Hansen Debra Dorward |
| Children: | none |
Mary Jo Barbarossa, the fourth daughter of Ralph and Marie Barbarossa, was born on June 10, 1959 in Norwich, NY. Her name is derived from a combination of her mom's name, Mary (Marie) and her Aunt's name, Josephine. MJ attended Norwich schools and was active in gymnastics and played the trumpet in the high school band.
Upon graduation in June, 1977, MJ went to SUNY Morrisville and got her Associates degree in nursing in 1979. She decided to get her Bachelor's degree in Nursing and moved to Binghamton where she attended SUNY Binghamton while working at Wilson Memorial Hospital.
In 1981 at a family reunion, she talked to cousin Jo-Jo Piraino, also a nurse, about specializing in Intensive Care. Jo Jo helped Mary Jo get a job at St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y.. After 3 and 1/2 years, MJ grew tired of the cold and snow and moved to Norfolk, Virginia. She worked at Norfolk General in the Intensive Care Unit for 3 and 1/2 years. Not liking Norfolk that well, Mary Jo moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1989. After a short time, she bought a small house and works in the Cardio-Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary's Hospital. She recently moved to a townhouse so she can spend more time traveling.
Mary Jo's hobbies include reading and sewing . She loves to cook and has every gadget known to the infomercial community. Her sisters often kid her about her shopoholic tendencies. She has a rather large collection of porcelain and glass horses on display in her home. Another early hobby of MJ's was that she loved the old Star Trek episodes, something that always impressed her nephews Steven and Kevin St. John, who could not help thereafter thinking of her as the "cool" Aunt. She's crazy about movies.
Mary Jo has gone on a few big trips. In 2007 she went to Alaska with friends where she finally saw snow capped mountains for the first time. The views there are spectacular and she says it's the place you need to see if you haven't. In 2009 she went out west to see the National state parks. Another fantastic trip viewing several different canyons including the Grand Canyon and ending up in South Dekota at Mount Rushmore.
MaryJo's most recent love though is her dog Chauncey. He is a 4 year old black and tan Yorkie. She'll bore you to death talking about him...he's fantastic!
Her memories of growing up are Jarts and Darts with Dad and snuggling up to mom in bed at night. Also holiday gatherings with all the family around. Her sisters often kid her about being the spoiled baby and getting away with everything. Beacause of her tiny stature, it isn't easy to forget that she is the "baby" sister. Being the baby isn't always easy. When she was young, her cousin Michael Benedicto never balked at taking Mary Jo to the park with him and friends when they played ball. They would stick MJ in the outfield and she's shag balls all day for them!
