Mary Jo Sanger

Mary Jo was born on August 5, 1944, in Heber City, Utah. She was the youngest of four girls. She has many happy memories of living in Heber.

At age 5 she was diagnosed with polio and spent some time at Shriner's Hospital.

At 16 she met and married Charlie Langenegger. They had four children and later divorced.

She then met Roger Sanger, and they were married on June 9, 1978. He brought three wonderful sons to the marriage.

She became a travel agent and was bitten by the travel bug. She and Roger were blessed to be able to travel the world together. They would get home from one trip, and she would be planning the next one.

Unfortunately, the polio came back as post-polio syndrome and her legs got weaker and weaker due to many falls and broken legs. She was confined to a wheelchair, so she and Roger brought the world to their home.

They hosted many home groups. One was a writer's club which a few famous writers attended. They hosted many Bible Study groups, as well as a support group for people suffering with post-polio syndrome.

Mary Jo dearly loved God, and her family, including all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She was always creative and started to sew and crochet. It was rumored that she couldn't read a pattern - she would just look at a finished item and copy it. She made many blankets and crafts for her family. She loved to embellish her sewing projects and won many awards and ribbons at the county and state fairs.

She had beautiful handwriting and would send letters and cards from all over the world to her friends and family.

She wrote many articles and was writing a book about Captain Cook's wife when she was diagnosed with dementia.

In her last few years, she lived at Hunter Hollow in West Valley.  While there she could be seen cruising the halls wanting to get out of Dodge, and looking for her crochet hooks. Her favorite activities included listening to gospel hymns and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

We, her family, would like to thank each and every one who helped take care of her. We greatly appreciate it.

She will be greatly missed but we are glad she is free from the pain and suffering.

Mary Jo was preceded in death by her husband Roger Sanger, her parents Tessa and Verge Averett, her stepson Myron Sanger, and her sister Annett Averett.

She is survived by her children: daughter Tracy Labronte, son James Langenegger (JoAnn), daughter Whitney Burrows (Mike), and son Preston Langenegger (Michelle); her stepsons: Terry Sanger, and Stacy Sanger (Lesley); as well as 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Mary Jo's life will be held on December 6, 2023, 10:30 AM, at Iglesia Somos Vida located at 10702 South 300 West, South Jordan, Utah.