Mary Jane Weber

Mary Jane (Gibson) Weber passed away peacefully in Corvallis on Dec. 4, 2024. Her husband of 65 years, Dale Weber, was by her side. A memorial service celebrating Mary Jane’s life will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, Dec. 20, at OSU’s CH2M HILL Alumni Center. Mary Jane was born in Keithsburg, IL to parents Lucille and Fay Gibson. In her early years near Letts, Iowa, she graduated from Letts High School with her senior class of 12 students. Her passion for music and dream of teaching led to her studies in music education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. President of her sorority, Theta Upsilon (now Delta Zeta), she earned her degree in 1955. Mary Jane met Dale through a close friend who taught with him at Bettendorf (Iowa) High School. They married on March 29, 1959, in Letts at Letts Methodist Church. The couple began married life on their family farm near Geneseo, Ill. while Mary Jane performed as a pianist, taught music and eventually welcomed into the world their daughter Faye. In 1967, the family moved to Ames, Iowa where Dale conducted his graduate studies in Animal Science at Iowa State University while Mary Jane continued teaching music. Dale often stated that Mary Jane’s work in music put him through grad school. After Dale completed his studies at ISU, they moved to River Falls, Wisc. for Dale’s job as a professor of Animal Science at UW-River Falls. In 1976, the family headed west to Corvallis where Dale taught and conducted research at Oregon State University for more than 45 years. A member of Grace Lutheran Church, Mary Jane loved the Corvallis area and was renowned for her commitment to helping others in the community. She volunteered for the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center Gift Shop and also served three-plus terms as president of the Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary. She was recognized for having volunteered more than 16,000 hours – the most in the hospital’s history. Mary Jane enjoyed live music performances at OSU and in Portland. She loved traveling with family and friends throughout the U.S. and abroad, especially in Germany and Switzerland. She was very engaged with her two grandsons’ academics and sports. Mary Jane was preceded in death by her parents, her brother James Gibson and her sister Sally Kendall. She is survived by her husband Dale, daughter Faye Abbes, son-in-law Ron Abbes, grandsons Christopher and Matthew Abbes and several nieces and nephews. The family kindly suggests donations in Mary Jane’s memory be made to Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation (give.samhealth.org) or to a charity of one’s choice.

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Mary Jane Weber

March 28, 1933 - December 4, 2024