Maureen Anne LaSota

Maureen Anne (Moore) LaSota was born on February 19, 1944, to John Lewis and Anna Marie Moore in Sterling, Illinois. At age 3, her parents relocated to Phoenix.

Maureen graduated St. Francis grade school, followed by Xavier College Preparatory in 1962. She later graduated from ASU with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Maureen was very proud of the fact that she went back to ASU after a long hiatus to earn her undergraduate degree – and the fact that she was a far improved student.

While a freshman at ASU, “Mo” – as she was sometimes called – was “sold” to Jack LaSota, a senior who had never seen her prior, for $2.65 at a Gamma Phi Beta sorority pledge auction. Following the auction, Jack’s initial attempts to date her were unsuccessful, as she was quite “busy” at the time.

While at ASU, Mo worked two summers at Mackinac Island, Michigan, and then the summer of 1965 as a blackjack dealer in Lake Tahoe. This is where her romance with Jack blossomed dramatically and eventually led to 55 years of devoted marriage to him. They married on September 6, 1969.

Maureen was a spirited, wonderful lady. She dressed well and was photogenic. She loved children, especially her own - John, Tim, and Michael - who survive her. She was an avid gardener, knitter, hiker, reader, and loved history and mahjong. She was a devoted Catholic and parishioner at St. Theresa’s for nearly 50 years.

Maureen made a wonderful home for Jack and her family, and she loved cooking for them and entertaining. Maureen worked at American Airlines and then Arizona Bank prior to having and raising their children, rejoining the workforce on a part-time basis years later.

Maureen could always be counted on to take care of sick family members, no matter how young or old they were. She was particularly nurturing to her parents in their older years and even spent a great deal of time helping her two eldest brothers, John Patrick and Michael.

Maureen lived a life filled with achievement and dedication to her family and grand families. She will be remembered as loving, determined, and - at times - feisty, virtually never “down” for any reason. We will never forget the lessons she taught and provided us.

In addition to her husband, Maureen is survived by her brother, Lew (Mona) Moore of Tucson, her sons, John (Beth), Tim (Sonya), and Michael (Kim), and her seven grandchildren – Jack, Annamaria, Avery, Ryan, Nico, AJ, and Tony. She is preceded in death by her parents as well as her brothers, John Patrick and Michael.

The entire LaSota family is tremendously thankful for the incredible outpouring of love and support from family and dear friends for Maureen this year.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 PM on Friday, February 28th at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 East Indian School Road in Phoenix, with a rosary at 4:30 PM. Her funeral Mass will be the following day, Saturday, March 1st, at 10:30 AM at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 5045 East Thomas Road in Phoenix.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 East Flower Street, Phoenix, or St. Vincent de Paul at St. Theresa Catholic Church.