Meet Mary Jo!
Also known as Father Chris’ better half, Mary Jo is not your average clergy spouse. I spent some time with her over coffee recently and learned a lot!
DH: Where did you grow up and what was that like?
MJ: I grew up on a family farm in Summersville, WV. It was an idyllic childhood and a beautiful small town. I’m the oldest of three and was surrounded by extended family. I was related to 22 of the residents on Main St alone! My parents were both hard-working and there was always a long list of chores for us as kids.
DH: When did you become interested in interior design?
MJ: Although my high school didn’t offer any art classes I had always been interested in art and design. Knowing that, my advisor at WVU urged me to enroll in a kitchen design class. I loved it and was sold on interior design as a career. My first project was designing my dad’s office. Since then I have worked as a freelance designer, mostly commercial but some residential work.
DH: What is your history with the Episcopal Church?
MJ: I attended an Episcopal Church as a college student in Morgantown. We were introduced to Rick Dennis, a priest who became a family friend and eventually convinced my parents as well as me to join the Church. I was confirmed by Bishop Campbell.
DH: So this happened before you met Chris, right?
MJ: Yes. I was a member of Trinity-Huntington when Chris was a deacon at St. John’s there. My priest, Bob Thompson, introduced us.
DH: We’re glad that worked out! So what guides you in your design work?
MJ: Listen to your client, whether it is an individual, a family, a church or a business. Stay within their budget and work with what they already have. My goals as a designer are to act only as a guide to create harmony, serenity and joy for both commercial and residential It’s also very important to help avoid expensive mistakes.
Chris and Mary Jo have three children: Jay Hash in Portsmouth, Ohio who is the owner of Hopesource, a substance abuse treatment center. His wife, Sonie, is the purchasing agent for the same organization. They have two adult children. Elizabeth Lopina is in Winston-Salem, NC and is on the staff of a Baptist Church there. Her husband, Andrew, is an architect and they have three children. Lucy McAfee and her husband, Thomas, live in Charleston, SC. Thomas works for Johnson & Johnson while Lucy is home with three little boys. All three are active Episcopalians in their respective churches.
In addition to being a member of the knitting group and recently joining the St Ambrose choir Mary Jo has used her talents to select paint colors throughout the church, select and choose colors for the new carpeting throughout the church and reposition artwork on our walls. She considers her contributions as in-house interior designer for the churches she and Chris have served as her ministry. Could we be any luckier?
