Obituary of Mary Chelte-Joseph

It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of Mary Chelte-Joseph on September 16th, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mary was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on November 9th, 1966. Mary attended Cathedral High School where she excelled in academics and softball. After graduating and working for a period of time in Massachusetts, Mary married a graduating Air Force ROTC officer and moved to Enid, Oklahoma. Her life in the Air Force took her to Merced, California where her son James Dow II was born and she then moved to Bossier City, Louisiana where her daughter Katie Leigh was born. Mary attended Louisiana Technical University in Bossier City where she played collegiate softball and earned two Masters Degrees, one in Human Relations and Supervision and the other in Counseling, Clinical and Applied Psychology. While in Bossier City, Mary worked as a Consulting Psychologist at Head Start and was also a Grant Writer for non-profit organizations until returning to Massachusetts where she lived until 2003. In 2003, Mary moved to Nevada where she worked as a counselor at the Nevada Youth Training Center and met her husband, Thomas Joseph. Mary was a member of The Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and also a member of The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. Mary is preceded in death by her father Raymond Chelte, her mother Virginia Gauthier-Chelte, and her eldest brother Ray Chelte Jr., all of Massachusetts. Mary leaves behind her children James Dow II and Katie Dow, both in Georgia. Her husband of 15 years Thomas Joseph, mother-in-law Fumiko Joseph, and stepchildren Amy and Brian, all in Nevada. Her siblings Dr. Anthony Chelte of Hawaii, Michael Chelte and his wife Deanna of Massachusetts, and sister Patricia Shaw and husband Stanley Shaw III of Massachusetts. Mary also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, and friends nationwide. In lieu of flowers, Mary’s family would like to suggest two important foundations for any donations: MECFS: In the late 90s, Mary was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) which was a catalyst for many health problems she experienced throughout her life. CFS remains a very misunderstood disease whose research is under-funded. You can learn more here: https://ammes.org/what-is-mecfs/ Anyone who knew Mary knows that her kindness and generosity towards animals of all kinds had no limits. This is a trait she shares with both of her children and we’d like to request donations in her name to an animal rescue: https://www.facebook.com/Animal-House-Shelter-and-Sanctuary-281181228837/