F. Joann Edwards' Obituary
F. Joann “Jo” Edwards, born on June 7, 1928, passed away on April 6, 2024, embraced by her loving family. Born in Marysville, Ohio, along with her identical twin June, the raven-haired beauties were inseparable and left the town residents guessing who was who. Jo met the love of her life, Jim Edwards, at a local Marysville hangout, and they were married for 59 years. Although Jo was petite and pint sized and was lovingly named “Minimom” by her children in later years, she was a descendant of the Marysville giant, Noah Orr. She compensated for her stature by her life-size determination and will. She never met a stranger, and her gift of gab and the ability to weave a story lovingly earned another nickname by her family – “Lipbeater.” Jo and Jim moved to Worthington in 1963 with their four children. They treasured their family. Jo sacrificed a dining room set for a few years for Jim’s dream of boating adventures at Lake Erie. On Friday evenings, after working a long week at Celina Insurance, she would pack a weekend’s worth of food and suitcases for the family and return home on Sunday to a mountain of laundry and prepare for another workweek. Her efforts were well worth the memories that were made for the time they shared as a family. Many more family memories were made when Jo and Jim carved out a week every year on the 4th of July for a family reunion at Emerald Isle, North Carolina, for a total of 27 years. Jo and Jim retired in Venice, Florida, and Jo took up golf by playing in the Niner’s league. She was a regular in the local newspaper with her low winning scores. After Jim’s passing, Jo moved to the Dublin Retirement Village to be near family for her final years.
Jo is predeceased by her son Jeffrey T. Edwards, and is survived by her daughter-in-law Valerie Fenchak and family, and her three daughters: Jill Franz and her husband Vince and family, Judi and John Werling and family, and Joni and Derek Williams and family. Jo’s seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren adored her, and she, in turn, adored them.
Capital City Hospice provided Jo loving care in her final days. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to Capital City Hospice.
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