Grace Ann (Mattila) Jorissen

Grace A. Jorissen (Mattila), 85, passed away peacefully on April 1, 2025, surrounded by family. She is survived by: her loving husband of 67 years, John; their children John Jr. (MaryAnn), Julie, Jen, and Jim (Christine); grandchildren Jeremy Damsgard (Jess), Anthony, John Paul (Sarah), James (Andrea), Alesandra Seepersaud (Andy), and Stefano (Tessa); 7 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law James Jorissen and sister-in-law Mary Cavanagh (Pat); and a large extended family and many friends and colleagues.

Grace was preceded in death by: mother Ann C. Mattila (Dalglish); stepfather John H. Mattila; and father John Blomquist; mother-in-law Josephine Jorissen (Sullivan) and father-in-law Norbert Jorissen; brother-in-law Lawrence and sisters-in-law Eileen Nelson and Kathleen Shelton (Tom).

A Celebration of Life will be held in her memory on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at O’Halloran & Murphy in Woodbury, MN. Visitation is from 10:30 to 11:30 am, and a simple service will follow at 11:30.

Grace was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she attended Holy Spirit Elementary. She graduated from St. Joseph Academy High School in St. Paul, with the Class of 1957; Grace kept in contact with her classmates for the remainder of her life, attending reunions and lunches with her friends until, sadly, health issues prevented her from joining them in anything more than spirit. She valued her friendships with them, and always looked forward to their gatherings.

Grace and John met in High School, were married in 1958, and spent nearly 67 years forging a life together, raising their four children in Roseville, Minnesota. It was a busy, productive life; she was a Den Mother and Girl Scout Leader when her children were in Scouts, and made sure they were able to get to practices and games when they were in sports.

The family enjoyed many outdoor activities together, including swimming, boating, camping, and fishing. Many weekends were spent doing all of that and more at the cabin on Big Sandy Lake. In 1971 the family took a car trip to Yellowstone; the stories from it are legendary, and much of it is documented in the scrapbook Grace took pains to create. Likewise, a visit to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area a couple of years later has tales of its own, as well as a photo album of memories.

To help keep the lights on in their early years, Grace worked part-time with the Minnesota Highway Department and at St. Paul Brass Foundry. In 1969, she started teaching piano out of their home. It was a career that would last for 35 years. In 1972, to enhance her music and teaching skills, she enrolled at the University of Minnesota in the College of Liberal Arts, where she studied piano with Bernard Weiser, was inducted into the Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity, and earned a B.A. in Piano. Following that, she enrolled in graduate school to work toward a Masters in Musicology.

She was also a member of several professional organizations: Schubert Club, Music Teachers National Association, Minnesota Music Teachers Association, and the St. Paul Piano Teachers Association. Grace joined committees, helped to organize piano competitions and contests, and served as judge or timekeeper at those events. She was President of the SPPTA from 1990 to 1992.

Grace and John enjoyed going to concerts together - they had season tickets for Schubert Club performances, and often attended concerts by the St Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. She and her daughters even joined in a sing-along concert of Handel’s “Messiah”, and relished trips to see “The Nutcracker” ballet at Northrop Auditorium.

Travel was an integral part of Grace’s life. From weekend trips to “The Cabin” or “The North Shore”, to her Music Education travel to Europe and Scandinavia, or to vacations with John in Ireland, Europe, Australia, and Grand Cayman, she visited locations near and far with family, friends, and colleagues.

When she and John retired in 2005, they purchased a large RV and followed the “snowbird” route to winter in Arizona. When driving the big rig became too much work, they sold their RV and purchased a mobile home in a park in Mesa. There they made friends with other snowbirds, and made daytrips to local areas of interest.

Eventually they sold the mobile home unit and their Minnesota townhome, and moved to an apartment at Lakeview Commons in Maplewood, where they were living at the time of Grace’s passing.

John and the family suggest memorials be made in Grace’s honor to one of the following, or to the organization of your choosing:

+ Minnesota Music Teachers Association Foundation (MMTAF)

+ St Paul Piano Teachers Association

+ University of Minnesota School of Music

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