Obituary of Jo Ann Radford

RADFORD: Jo Ann Marie (Potter) Who passed away unexpectedly on April 19, 2021, at her beloved home on Stone School Road at the age of 65. Jo Ann was born January 4, 1956 to parents, Joe and June Potter. Jo Ann was a loving spouse to her soulmate, Paul for 48 years, and more recently he also became her attentive nursemaid. Angela ( Ang) Radford is Jo Ann’s adored daughter, and who also inherited that all important family gene, ‘Joe Potter’s wit.’ Ang has been a loving daughter to both Jo Ann and Paul and many laughs have been shared despite episodes of illness. Jo Ann was the loving grandparent to Blake and Mitch Cooper. Jo Ann’s sense of humour, as well as her gentle and kind nature will be greatly missed by Paul ,Ang, Blake, Mitch , Ang’s dear friend Ted Sills and his daughters, Ella and Leah as well as by her sisters and brothers, Cheryl Riehl (Doug); Laurie Henderson (Sam); John Potter; Barb Potter; and Jason Potter (Gillian). She was predeceased by her parents and as well as by her sister Nina (2013). Jo Ann will also be missed by Paul’s family, brother Mark, sister Colleen Walden ( Peter), and Karen Van Dorp ( John ) . Jo Ann has many nephews and nieces who are saddened by this loss but who will have lasting memories of Jo Ann’s ability to weave humorous stories, wittily sprinkled with many one-liners. Jo Ann will also be missed by her small and loyal group of former co-workers with whom their friendships continued throughout Jo Ann’s retirement. Jo Ann liked the simple life and treasured her privacy; thus, after her retirement from Clinton Public Hospital she was utterly content at the schoolhouse she attended as a child which later became the Radford home and hearth. Jo Ann enjoyed mothering Ang in her early years, but she branched out to work part time at Clinton Hospital and later assumed a full-time position as a Purchasing Agent. She was proud to hold this position until her early retirement ten years ago . As family, we were fortunate to plan and enjoy sibling/niece getaways to local destinations and a memorable vacation to the Taylor picnic hosted by the MacFarlane’s in Alberta. The highlight of our travels was a trip to Turkey to visit with John and this was Jo Ann’s first and only overseas flight.We still reminisce about the one evening while out a Salsa dancer whisked Jo Ann out to the dance floor and their moves were like watching a modern-day episode of Lucille Ball. Another highlight for Jo Ann was when she and Paul travelled to Bermuda for a sun holiday that became one of their lasting memories. Jo Ann’s door was always open for family or friends who dropped by to visit , but with the pandemic every Saturday has become our sibling Zoom call which often stretch out for 2-3 hours while we solve the problems of the world along with many laughs sharing amusing memories .This was the one opportunity that we could visit with John which was especially important to Jo Ann as they were partners in crime as children,and continued to have an extremely close bond throughout their lives. Jo Ann was an integral part of these virtual meetings when she shared pearls of wisdom along with her witty repertoire. Jo Ann exited this world exactly as if she had written the script of her life with her final memory of a normal evening with Paul and their two cats within the stone walls of her beloved home. Jo Ann discussed her health with Cheri recently and she made a reference to Frank Sinatra’s song ‘ My Way’; therefore, Jo Ann you did exactly that – You Did It Your Way - although even you would not have thought it would come so swiftly. The family would like to express gratitude to the emergency response team who came to Joann’s aid and sensitively supported Paul, Angela and family members during an extremely difficult time. Jo Ann would have appreciated all the support that was provided to her loved ones. As expressions of sympathy memorial donations can be made to : 4 The Love of Luna Cat Rescue, R.R.# 3 Thedford,ON N0M 2N0 or etransfers to 4luvofluna@execulink.com or to the Tanner Steffler Foundation https://www.tannerstefflerfoundation.com or Tanner Steffler Foundation, Box 827, Seaforth , ON NOK 1W0 A private family funeral service will be held on Friday April 23, 2021, at 11 AM. The family invite relatives and friends to visit Joann’s memorial tribute page at www.falconerfuneralhomes.com Arrangements entrusted to Falconer Funeral Homes –Clinton.