Dr. and Mrs. Phil Davis speak with Northwestern Technical College President Dr. Ray Brooks on Friday. They were part of a memorial being held on the NTC Campus in honor of their late daughter, Mary Jirsa, a former instructor and military officer. Click to enlarge.
More than 50 of Mary Jirsa’s family, friends, and peers paid tribute to her life in a sundown memorial service on the campus of Northwestern Technical College in Rock Spring on Friday.
The U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel died from an aggressive cancer on Oct. 2, 2005.
Her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Phil Davis, flew in from out of state for the ceremony. “Mary had an incredible spirit,” said Dr. Davis. “If she wanted it bad enough, she got it done. That was our Mary.”
Jirsa was a Surgical Technology instructor for NTC for nine years. She was also a veteran of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The military honored her with the Bronze Star. She answered her call to duty once again when the United States activated reserve units for the latest involvements in the Middle East.
NTC awarded Jirsa with the Northwestern Teacher of Excellence Award in 2003. Jirsa was born in Florence, Alabama. She held a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Alabama. She is survived by her husband, Jeffrey, her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Phil Davis, and her sisters, Debra Wilson and Donna Schroeder.
Dr. and Mrs. Phil Davis pose next to the cherry tree planted in their late daughter’s honor on the campus of Northwestern Technical College. Click to enlarge.