Signs seeking justice for Mary and Joe began turning up in yards all over town several weeks ago.
For the family of Mary Wallace, the 88-year-old who’s the subject of those signs, what’s happening to their mother is simply unjustifiable.
“My mom has done nothing wrong,” said Stephanie Johnson, the middle daughter of Mary and Bob Wallace.
Seated at the kitchen table inside Mary’s brick ranch home, are Mary and her two daughters, Stephanie and Sue Shaner, who attempt to piece together the events that led to the need for those yard signs. On the table are a pile of papers and a white notebook that holds letters she has written to her children over the years, always signing them, “You are loved, Mom.”
They are hesitant to talk too freely. Mary, especially, is worried that any false move could ruin her chances of ever seeing Joe again. The Joe on the signs is Joe Mahaffey, Mary’s long-time partner and companion.
“It will be eight weeks on Friday since I saw him,” said Mary.
Mary said the idea for the signs was hers. She was trying, she said, to figure out a way to raise awareness of what was happening.
“I don’t think it should have gone this far,” she said.
But at the end of the month, Mary will go to court to fight a stalking order of protection against her that would prevent her from seeing Joe.
The past several years have been hard ones for Mary. In December of 2022, Mary lost her youngest child, Spencer. He was just 57 when he passed away after a short illness. While she was working through that grief, Joe was hospitalized in January 2023 after several bouts of COVID. He was eventually admitted into a nursing home facility in Toulon before being transferred to Courtyard Estates in Kewanee.
Mary has many memories of the earlier and happier times with Joe. Stephanie recalled how her mom had been grieving the loss of her dad for years when she met Joe. Although Mary and Joe had never been officially introduced, in 2016, they both agreed to go on a trip to Las Vegas with mutual friends. And once they did meet, they hit it off, said Mary.
“I liked him right away,” she said. “He had a lot of the same qualities as my husband. He was kind, talkative and very punctual,” she said.
A former car salesman for Taylor and Sons, Joe had a big personality that made him perfect for the job, Mary said. By the time the two returned from Las Vegas, they were an item.
“I had no idea this was going to happen,” said Mary about getting another chance at love after her husband died.
For her daughters, mom finding someone that made her happy again was a blessing.
“For a few years, I saw my mom be very lonely and very sad and Joe comforted my mom,” said Stephanie. “And that comforted me. I told her that her love of Joe had nothing to do with her loving my dad. Her heart was big enough to love them both.”
The couple had an active social life. Mary worked five days a week and in between they took bus trips with the Senior Citizens. Acting as host and hostess of the trips, they visited places like Niagara Falls, the Black Hills, Nashville, Savannah, Virginia Beach and Branson.
“We had a great time on those trips,” said Mary.
Besides traveling, the couple enjoyed visiting with family, playing cards and board games and some occasional games of chance.
After a year, Joe asked Mary to move into his house on McClure and Mary agreed, although leaving her home on Oak Street where she raised her kids with Bob wasn’t easy. She remembers packing up her items and moving in. That was in August of 2017.
In her letter to her children that year, Mary told them “the biggest change was moving to Joe’s house. You all know how sentimental and emotional I am,” she wrote. “It was a big step. So far, so good. Joe calls it our house and I’m getting there.”
For several years, everything was wonderful, Mary said. She and Joe were comfortable in their home and he began to allow her to make small changes inside that would make her feel more at home.
When Joe got sick and went into the Kewanee assisted living facility, Mary stayed in their home and visited him every day, most days taking him to get ice cream or for a drive to look at the crops. Sometimes the pair visited her daughter Stephanie and her husband, Brian.
But things began to change, Mary said. A family member of Joe’s asked her to find another place to live. Her son’s memorial was planned in Kewanee for June of 2023 and she asked to be able to stay until then. In July, her daughter-in-law purchased a house in Kewanee and she moved there, still continuing to see Joe daily. But around Nov. 2 of 2023, she received a call from the police telling her that she was no longer allowed to visit Joe at the assisted living facility. If she did, she would be trespassed.
Mary said she hung up the phone, burst into tears and frantically called her daughters.
“If you want to terrify an 88-year-old, have the police call,” said her daughter, Sue.
Mary said she was distraught, unsure of what had happened that would prevent her from seeing Joe.
“She didn’t even get to say goodbye to him,” said Stephanie.
Mary reached out to a friend for help, and Mary isn’t certain, but believes an ombudsman was contacted. All she knows is that around Nov. 15, she was cleared to see Joe again and she went back to get him that day, taking him for an ice cream cone at McDonald’s.
For the next several months everything seemed fine. Mary resumed the visits and even took Joe to see her new home. Mary said Joe inquired about why she was living there and not in their home, but she found it difficult to tell him the truth.
“I told him that it just wasn’t the same there without him,” Mary said.
Through the holidays, Mary brought Joe to her home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. He spent time with her family enjoying the holidays and to make it easier for Joe to get inside, she had a ramp constructed for him.
But just last month, two Henry County Sheriff’s deputies came to her door to serve her with a summons. According to the papers, a family member of Joe’s, acting with the power of attorney, filed a stalking order of protection against Mary that would forbid her from having contact with Joe.
A hearing was held on March 14 and a judge granted the emergency stalking no contact order.
Mary has hired an attorney for the case and so far has incurred legal expenses totaling $6,500. Her next court hearing on the plenary order of protection, a much longer-lasting order of protection, is set for April 30 at 9 a.m. at the Henry County Courthouse. Mary said she believes her family and friends plan to attend in support of her.
Mary said she knows Joe doesn’t blame her for their separation, but she misses him, she said, and remembers that the last time she saw him in February she told him she’d see him tomorrow. That was weeks ago.
Mary said for her, the justice she is hoping for is that the order of protection will be vacated and everything will go back to the way it was before with daily visits, trips to the park and ice cream. Mary said if she could say anything to Joe right now it would be this: “Hang in there. I’m working on it.”
But Mary is preparing herself for the worst and when asked what she’ll do if she can’t ever see Joe again, Mary paused. “Nothing,” she said through tears. “ I feel right now that he needs me more than I need him.”
Her daughter Sue said she hopes her mom’s supporters will turn out to support her on April 30.
