Archive
Jesse Grant Mavity
CLINTON — Our father, Jesse Grant Mavity, died at the Alverno Nursing Home in Clinton, Iowa, where he’d lived for the past six years. Cremation rites have been accorded and there will be a memorial service in Hammond, IN, later this spring. Prior to his move to Iowa, Dad was a life-long resident of Hammond, Indiana.
He was the youngest of 12 children born to Josephina Petersen and Jesse Grant Mavity Sr. The senior Mavity remarried following the death of his first wife and she and her children were Jesse’s family.
As a young adult during the Great Depression, Dad served with the Civilian Conservation Corps and enjoyed that experience. He then worked at a local toy factory before joining the Army in World War II. In the Army, he served stateside before being sent to Europe as part of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 346th Infantry Regiment of the 87th Infantry Division. There, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, which he proudly remembered as “largest land battle ever fought and won by the U.S. in history.” Dad returned home to recover from a would sustained in that battle and before he could be returned to battle on the eastern front, the war and the service to his country ended.
Dad married Jo (Josephine) Bakaj in 1946 and they were together until her death in 1994.
They have three daughters, Patricia (Bob) Everly, Barbara Szucs and Kathleen (Joseph) Watson. Dad also is survived by three grandchildren, Rob (Tracy) Everly, Amy Everly and Pete (Chase) Szucs; four great-grandchildren, Alex and Maddie Everly and Grant and Brady Szucs; several nieces; and a special sister-in-law. During his long life, Grant worked hard, was an avid reader and crossword puzzler (always done in ink), faithful fan of the Chicago Cubs, a sidewalk superintendent to many local building and street construction projects, a loyal husband and friend, and an amazing Dad. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Death date: Dec. 12, 2009
