<div><strong>Mary Johnson-Roy</strong>, a life-long resident of North Minneapolis, faithfully contributed to her community for decades. Her inspiring story of forgiveness and service, especially through facilitating healing groups for mothers grieving the loss of children to homicide, earned her the respect of people around the world. Mary received many awards and recognitions for her work, including being a recipient of KARE 11’s “Eleven Who Care” award and being declared a “Hero Among Us” by <em>People Magazine</em>. 
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On March 27, 2024, Mary went home to her God after a 4-year journey with Lewy body dementia. This fund originally established to help with medical expenses is now being used for expenses related to her Celebration of Life and burial as well as to support her on-going legacy through a variety of projects that honor her story and advance her important work in the world of restorative justice, healing, and forgiveness. We appreciate your donations. If you would prefer to contribute off-line, please send a check made out to <strong>“Mary Johnson-Roy Legacy Fund”</strong> to the St Jane House (1403 Emerson Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55411).
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Mary's Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, April 13 at 11am at Shiloh Temple in North Minneapolis. It will also be live-streamed, including in all Minnesota prisons. Learn more in her<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.washburn-mcreavy.com/obituaries/Mary-Johnson-Roy/#!/Obituary" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>obituary</strong></a>.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Matt McKinney of the Star Tribune wrote a <a href="https://www.startribune.com/mary-johnson-roy-who-drew-on-faith-to-forgive-the-man-who-killed-her-son-dies-at-71/600357011/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>beautiful tribute</strong></a> to her that was published on Sunday April 7. 
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>More about Mary’s Story</strong>
</div>
<div>For decades, Mary served her community as a volunteer while working at the Bell Telephone Company, her church, and later PYC School in North Minneapolis. The tragic murder in 1993 of her only child, Laramiun Byrd, sent her on a path no mother ever wants to go on. Yet Mary courageously embarked on this journey which ultimately led her to forgive O’Shea Israel, the young man who took her son’s life, and embrace him as her spiritual son. If you have a seven minutes, listen to this POWERFUL <strong> </strong><a href="https://storycorps.org/stories/as-her-memory-dims-one-remarkable-mother-remains-a-beacon-of-light/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>StoryCorps interview</strong></a> featuring Mary, O’Shea, and her husband Ed that aired on NPR in Sept. 2023.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/72783765_171160271583690_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Mary transformed her unfathomable pain and loss into light and love for her city and the world. She did this in response to a spiritual calling on her life to bring mothers on both sides of the tragedy of homicide together for healing.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In 2005, Mary founded <a href="https://www.stjanehouse.org/from-death-to-life" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>From Death to Life</strong></a><strong>,</strong> a nonprofit organization to facilitate her work and get her message of the power of forgiveness out in the world. For 18 years, Mary led the <strong>Two Mothers Healing Group</strong>, providing comfort, support and healing for mothers who lost children to homicide. In a city where violence is sadly a daily reality, Mary and the mothers of her healing group have been a stand for peace, reconciliation, and restorative justice, which has led them to reach out and embrace mothers who have lost children to prison because of homicide.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Mary was invited to be a special guest at two global conferences on love and forgiveness by the Fetzer Institute in Assisi, Italy, and Aman, Jordan, where she met with the <strong>Prince of Jordan</strong>. She also met <strong>President Barack Obama</strong> who praised and thanked her for her service.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/72783765_1711602979974851_r.png" width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On January 3, 2015, Mary married the love of her life, <strong>Ed Roy</strong>. As a father who had lost his only son to homicide, Mary knew his pain. After nearly 10 years of walking beside one another as friends, they realized there was more going on between them, and Ed ask for her hand in marriage. This year, they celebrated their 9th anniversary, and they kept their vows to one another untll the very end.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/72783765_1711603015562434_r.png" width="100%" />
<div>Ed and Mary Johnson-Roy's engagement photo, Dec. 2014.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Her powerful story of forgiveness has attracted the attention of local, national, and global media organizations, inspiring countless people around the world. Mary appeared on the CBS Evening News, BBC, CNN, CBC, ABC’s The View, and local TV stations, as well as in numerous magazine and newspaper stories around the world. She was featured in the acclaimed documentary <a href="https://www.riskinglight.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong><em>Risking Light</em></strong></a> and the book <strong><em>Beyond Belief</em></strong>. Links to these stories and more can be found on the <a href="https://www.stjanehouse.org/from-death-to-life" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>From Death to Life</strong></a> page of the St Jane House website.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>While her good work and generous act of forgiveness have been acknowledged and applauded by many, Mary consistently remained humble, giving all the glory to her God. She was treasured by the mothers who found healing in her loving embrace as well as others who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside her.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We are inspired by her extraordinary example of humble, selfless love, generosity, and service in our community and world.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you wish to support Mary’s on-going <strong>Legacy of Love and Forgiveness</strong> through a variety of projects that honor her story and advance her important work in the world of restorative justice, healing, and forgiveness, please consider a gift to this campaign. If you would prefer to contribute off-line, checks can be made out to <strong>“Mary Johnson-Roy Memorial Fund”</strong> can be sent to:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>St Jane House
</div>
<div>1403 Emerson Ave. N.
</div>
<div>Minneapolis, MN 55411
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you!
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/72783765_1711603818938643_r.png" width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Mary’s Health Journey with Lewy body dementia</strong>
</div>
<div>Mary and Ed courageously decided to share their about her health journey with the broader community in May of 2024 through a <a href="https://www.startribune.com/mary-johnson-roy-dementia-homicide-forgiveness-from-death-to-life-oshea-israel/600274081/?refresh=true&amp;fbclid=IwAR0Bp4e28lB8YuBtijKj-ki8cZvIKk7XBHbvtialQbAMxs0uIlU9S9d-g0E" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>beautiful story</strong></a> by StarTribune features columnist, Laura Yuen.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Their story was also featured in a powerful 22-minute <a href="https://storycorps.org/echoes-of-forgiveness/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>StoryCorps podcast</strong></a> released in December 2023.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>From the organizer of this fundraiser:</strong>
</div>
<div>I first met Mary in the spring of 2006 when she shared her powerful story of forgiveness at my church. A short while later, she invited me to become a board member of her From Death to Life nonprofit organization, a role I’ve had the honor of serving in for 16 years.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In 2008, my northside home became the <a href="https://www.stjanehouse.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>St Jane House</strong></a>, an urban retreat center and house of hospitality sponsored by the nearby Visitation Monastery of Minneapolis. Shortly thereafter, we offered the St Jane House to Mary as a home base for From Death to Life. It is here that she has been hosting meetings and facilitating healing groups for mothers impacted by homicide almost every other Saturday morning for 16 years. Even with her health challenges, Mary continued to co-facilitate these groups with the assistance of her dear friend, Regina Irwin up until January 2024. Regina is now leading this group.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On behalf of all who hold Mary and Ed near and dear, it is my honor to have created this appeal to help them during their time of need, and now to honor her on-going legacy in the world.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for your support!
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>With a grateful heart,
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Brian Mogren
</div>
<div>St Jane House Director in Residence
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/72783765_1711603430790085_r.png" width="100%" />
<div>On retreat with Mary and the mothers in the Two Mothers' Healing Groups.
</div>

Anonymous

Lucy Saliger

Scott Mogren

Curtis Hall

Alicia Nichols

Wynelle Mack

Mark Umbreit

Timothy Kulla

Donna Stephenson

Michele Braley

Susan Stacey

Drake Talbert

Bridget Clark

Mary Dunnavan

Mary Johnson-Roy Legacy Fund

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Enter your donation forMary Johnson-Roy Legacy Fund