Mary Ann Dickoff, age 68, of Eau Claire passed away on Friday, August 12 at Mayo Clinic - Methodist Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, after a brief illness. Parents Charles and Dorothy (Christ) Dickoff welcomed Mary Ann to life on December 18, 1953 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. From birth, she lived with a congenital heart defect that severely limited her physical stamina and presented many challenges. Her exceptional resilience enabled her to enjoy a long and productive life, despite her early prognosis. Mary's Mayo Clinic doctors told the family they were not aware of another patient with her condition who has exceeded her 68-year lifespan. Mary's family moved to Eau Claire when she was five years old and she graduated from Regis High School in 1972. After attending Saint Catherine's College in Saint Paul, Minnesota for one year, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in 1976, and in 1982, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. She practiced for ten years as a pediatric occupational therapist in the North Central Syracuse (New York) School District before returning to Eau Claire in 1993. There she worked for eighteen years as a teacher assistant with kindergarten students at Immaculate Conception School. She drew great pleasure out of helping her young students stretch their minds and muscles with puzzles, games and other challenges. In the words of a long-time colleague, "she had an amazing gift of helping kids with a calm but firm demeanor. The kids loved her." Mary was a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception parish and was also a longtime member of the Eau Claire Junior League. Her family, friends and former colleagues will sorely miss her. Mary's survivors include her mother Dorothy Dickoff, brothers Steve Dickoff (Dona Phillips) and Mike (Betsy) Dickoff, sister Jane (Patrick) Bruer and nephews and niece John (Julianna Simon) Dickoff, Meghan (David) Blodgett, Matthew Dickoff and their families. Her father, Charles, and an infant brother, David, preceded her in death. The family wishes to acknowledge the decades of expert and compassionate care that Mary received from the team in the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic at Mayo, especially cardiologists Dr. William Miranda and Dr. Carole Warnes and nurse Caroline Arpin. Their skill and concern, coupled with Mary Ann's innate tenacity, no doubt prolonged her life by many years. We will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 12:00 noon at Immaculate Conception Church with Father Francis Thadathil, MSFS officiating. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service at the church. A live stream of the service will be available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsDc1NP_PItBX6sVMCDqong?view_as=subscriber. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials go to Immaculate Conception School for support of the kindergarten program, to the Adult Congenital Heart Association, or to the charity of the donor's choice. Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral & Cremation Services is assisting the family. Please express online condolences at www.lenmarkfh.com.