Mary Jane Gehlhausen Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Mary Jane (Richey) Gehlhausen,96, peacefully passed away on August 10,2020 at Oakwood Health Campus in Tell City. She was born July 21, 1924 in Indianapolis to Edward, a railroad steam engine engineer and Nettie Mae (McCool) Richey, a homemaker. She and her parents moved to Southern Indiana in her early years. She graduated from Birdseye High School in 1942. Upon graduation, she moved back to Indianapolis to become one of the many young women who went to work in the WWII war effort. At the Lukas-Harold Corporation she helped make the Norden bombsight at this highly secretive plant in Indy. The bombsight was a crucial part of the Allied victory in WWII. Mary Jane, or Janey as some called her was an independent woman ahead of her time. She loved to read, garden, working in her flowers, and delighted in spending time with her children and grandkids. One of her outstanding qualities was her ability to adapt and accept change in her life. Blessed with an open mind and a huge heart, she was a wonderful and thoughtful letter and note writer to many friends and family. Very practical and down to earth with a good sense of humor, she had many friends. Always thinking of others first, and never tried to put pressure on or control others. She was able to drive, and drove until she was 93. Even if she always had a heavy foot on the gas. She married Victor Garrett Gehlhausen on March 18, 1945. They celebrated over 52 years of married life until he passed away on November 5, 1997. During her many working years she worked a many different factories, including G.E., Tell City Chair, DMI in Huntingburg and Sound Design. Later in life she worked in the laundry at a nursing home in Jasper, and in housekeeping at a Jasper hotel. She was a survivor of Covid 19, but it depleted her strength and accelerated her decline. Mary Jane is survived by four sons, David (Elizabeth) Gehlhausen of Henderson, KY., Mike (Iola) Gehlhausen, Bill (Ramona) Gehlhausen, and Chris “Petey” (Bonnie) Gehlhausen all of Birdseye. One daughter, Nancy (Fred) Etienne of Magnet. Eleven grandchildren, Garrett and Arin (Jenny) Gehlhausen, Lisa (Jon) Heichelbech; Adam (Nicole) and Ryan (Maral) Etienne; Jeremy (Crystal), Jason and Tori (John) Gehlhausen; Nic Gordon; Logan (Betsy) and Jordan (Heith) Gehlhausen and twenty-three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Victor, Victoria, a daughter at birth, a son, Keith and a grandson Scott Gehlhausen. Her parents, Edward and Nettie Richey, three sisters, Virginia Cook, Edna Stephenson, and Verna Wynne, and a nephew who was like a brother to her, William Baurle. A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 central on Friday August 14, 2020 at St. Martin Of Tours Church in Siberia. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation at the church from 8:00 until the time of the mass. Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Martins Cemetery Fund. Online condolences may be shared at www.becherfuneralhome.com.

Mary Jane Gehlhausen

July 21, 1924 - August 10, 2020

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Mary Jane Gehlhausen

July 21, 1924 - August 10, 2020

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