Mary Jahnke Wesson

Mary Jahnke Wesson, 87, died Wednesday afternoon April 23, 2014 at Tierra Pines Center where she lived. She passed away very peacefully with her son Ted "Teddy" Wesson and daughter-in-law Trish Wesson by her side. Mary was the daughter of Theodore and Florence Jahnke and was born in Philadelphia PA on August 17, 1926. She grew up in Allen Town PA. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and went on to teach 1st and 2nd graders'. Mary married Harry Burbank Wesson II in 1952. They moved to the home of Cypress Gardens Water Ski Attraction in Winter Haven FL where they built a two bedroom home and had two children Ted and Randy. They moved from there three years later to a farm in the Tallahassee FL area. On the farm, Mary would call Harry at work to tell him the cows had gotten into the fenced yard. There she was, with broom in hand, chasing the cows away from the farm house. Mary stayed in Tallahassee and taught school again after her Harry died in 1961 where she would start to raise two little boys on her own. After a couple of years or so she moved to Satellite Beach FL and taught at the Satellite Beach Elementary School. She also became a Little League and Track and Field mom. She organized neighborhood basketball games for the neighborhood kids. She also took her boys camping, with a tent, to what seemed like faraway places to them, like the Smokey Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Key West. She encouraged, with trepidation, the sport of surfing for Ted and Randy. Randy became one of the most revered local surfers from Satellite Beach which made his mom so very proud. Mary left the Satellite Beach area and Trinity Presbyterian Church before 2000 to live near her son. The Trinity Church never left mom, they've kept her membership and sending her weekly news letters to this day. She became a resident of Tierra Pines Center until her passing. Mary leaves many friends and staff members at Tierra Pines Center who cared for her. Mary loved each and every one of them. She would remember their names even in her final weeks. If she couldn't remember their names she would pull them in close to read their name tags. She sometimes nicknamed them to keep them straight in her mind. Randy predeceased his mother by twelve years. Mary was a proud Grand Mother and loved being a Great Grand Mother of three. Mary also has three Nieces and four Nephews. Mary is survived by her older sister, Helen Lints of Lancaster PA. Mary will be laid to rest beside her beloved Harry in Tallahassee's Roselawn Cemetery with a private family service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 638 South Patrick Drive, Satellite Beach FL 32937.