Legendary reporter Mary Jo Nelson died at age 80.  Her obituary in The Daily Oklahoman is here.

I worked beside her man and boy for more than a decade.  She was a wonder.  I’ll miss her.  She avoided the ubiquitous cynicism of the journalism profession and was relentlessly upbeat.  She covered city hall for the Times while I was on the same beat for the Oklahoman and we sat side by side through many a boring Tuesday city council session during Patience Latting’s mayoral term, flogging the “Bishop bloc” from the southside for its loyalty to the town’s developers.

Services are pending at Guardian North.