the Obituary of Mary Lucille Slette

Lifelong Fort Jones resident Mary Lucille Slette passed away peacefully at her home on May 24, 2024 after a brief illness.

She was born on June 24, 1934 to Carl Joseph Mello and Mary Elizabeth (DeFaria) Mello in Yreka and lived most of her life on McAdams Creek in Fort Jones. They lived on Clear Creek where the Deadwood Conservation Camp is now located. Mary was the oldest of five siblings. She had 3 sisters, Nancy, Joan and Martha, and one brother, Charles. When she was small their house burned down and they moved in with her grandparents on the family homestead 2 miles away. Her mom said that all she got out of the burning house was Mary and her wedding ring.

She met Harold Slette in 1954 and they were married in 1955. They bought the Davidson ranch next to her parents, and decided to restore the old house rather than build a new one. After evicting all of the packrats, porcupines, bats and other wildlife, they restored the ranch house and lived there for the rest of their lives. They had two children, Michael and Monica. She loved hosting family gatherings on the ranch.

Mary worked as a teacher’s aide in Fort Jones for many years. She also served on the school board. Her passion was her church service. She taught CCD at Sacred Heart Catholic Church for over 62 years and was very active in the Sacred Heart Alter Society, Deanery and Hawkinsville Portuguese Picnic. She also loved working on the ranch, growing a large garden to can and raising a yard full of beautiful flowers. She hiked with her family each summer and saw over 200 of the lakes in the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area in person. She and Harold went to Hawaii for their 25th anniversary and traveled around the US on several trips. She was the Queen at the Portuguese picnic in Fort Jones as a teen and attended many of their annual gatherings in Hawkinsville.

She was preceding death by her parents, husband Harold, and son Michael; sister Nancy and brother Charles; brothers-in-law Ken Cooke, Bill Moffitt, Kenneth Smith and Steve Lindgren.

She is survived by her daughter Monica (Roy) Hall; sisters Joan (Norm) Hill and Martha Lindgren; grandchildren Jennifer (Jeff) Smith, Carl Hall, Frank (Monica) Hall, Robert Hall, and Laura Hall; great grandchildren, Anthony, Migel, Venice (Kass), Sean, Hunter, Scout, Tristin, Jonathan, Wicks, MacKenzie, Jamie and Jessie.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Sunday June 9, at 1:30 PM at the Sacred Heart Church in Fort Jones followed by a burial at the Fort Jones Catholic Cemetery. There will be a reception at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall in Fort Jones. Donations can be made to the Sacred Heart maintenance fund, Hawkinsville Portuguese hall or a charity of your choice.

source: Girdner Funeral Chapel