Mary Jo Serfin of Finlayson, MN passed away at her home on Thursday, March 26, 2026 with her family by her side. She was 72 years old.

Mary Jo Serfin was born in St Paul, MN on October 7, 1953 to Basil and Astrid (Ahlbom) Serfin.

Mary Jo "MJ" Serfin embraced life to the fullest. She never forgot her Minnesotan roots but was always curious about different cultures and traveled far and wide - from Thailand to South Africa to India. She also had a productive but perhaps unexpected career in law enforcement: she worked as an undercover federal agent assigned to a narcotics task force in the 1980s, as a unit secretary at Federal Correctional Institution Sandstone in the late 1990s, and as an ICE mission support specialist and seized property manager in the late 2000s. On the other end of the spectrum, MJ also was a trained massage therapist and a devoted disciple of Ayurvedic principles.

MJ was such a special person. Her family, friends, and colleagues have described her as warm, nurturing, and loving. She was also level-headed, never judgmental, and resilient. To sum her up: MJ was gentle as the earth, but strong as a mountain.

MJ was preceded in death by her parents, Basil and Astrid Serfin; sister, Linda White; brother John "Jack" Serfin; and eldest son, Mickey Latuff.

MJ is survived by: sister, Ronna Stone; sons, Lukas (Denise) Latuff and Matthew (JoAnn) Latuff; grandchildren, Whitney (Nathan) Leppanen, Wyatt (Lucy) Latuff, Axel and Zander Latuff, Jadyne and Jayce Latuff; great grandchildren, Isla Jo and Wesley Leppanen; life partner, Harry A. Thomas.

MJ succumbed to an aggressive form of colon cancer on March 26, 2026. We urge everyone to get regular cancer screenings.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date to honor MJ.

Arrangements by Methven Funeral and Cremation Services of Sandstone, MN.