grave import

Obituary

Jo Ann Monroe has read her last book on this Earth. Jo passed away on Wednesday April 13, 2016, in her home in Burlington, Iowa. She was 77 years old. Jo was born October 25, 1938 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her father Johan (John) Anton Ossian and her Mother Verus (Bebe) Leota Ossian moved the family to the Burlington area in 1943 when he was first hired by the Burlington Community School System as a Coach. A housing shortage in the Burlington area at that time, required the family to live in an apartment on the 2nd floor of the Burlington School Administration Building by the old Horace Mann Middle School for 10 years. Jo grew up a member of the Burlington School System family of those years.
Jo was a life time learner who earned her Bachelors of Science in General Science with a Minor in History at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana in 1960.
She married William Ray Monroe Jr in 1959 at St Johns Church in Burlington, Iowa. She became a teacher at North Hill Elementary School in Burlington, Iowa, but at the wish of her husband William (Bill) Ray Monroe Jr, she became a full time home maker until all of her children grew up. Jo and William divorced in 1987. Jo was also a Substitute Teacher, a Night Manager at the Burlington Shelter for Battered Women, and worked Retail at both Gasland and Target until she retired sometime in 2006. She was also active in the Democratic Party for almost her entire life.
Jo's hobby of reading was almost a second vocation. She was a constant and regular library patron and she shopped constantly for used and new books to keep up with her voracious appetite for books. She could read a book in one day and often did. She taught this joy of reading to each of her children. She also taught all of her Children to respect others, but to think for themselves. She also enjoyed cooking and crossword puzzles. One of her most prized possessions was her eclectic collection of little cat statues of all shapes and sizes.
Jo is survived by her Special Friend Fred Brown of Burlington, Iowa, her Brother John Ossian (and his 2 children) of Burlington, IA; her Son Clifford Scott Monroe and his Wife Erin Monroe (and their 3 Children) of Severna Park, MD, her Son William (Bill) Ray Monroe III of West Burlington, IA; her Daughter Lisa Ann Classen (and her Daughter) and her Husband Doug Classen of Burlington, IA; her Daughter Melinda (Mindy) Jo Monroe (and her 2 Sons) and her special Man Steve Roberts of West Burlington, IA; her Foster Daughter Teri Watson (and her 4 children) of North Liberty, Iowa; and her Foster Daughter Jan Watson of Smithshire, IL. She was preceded in death by her father Johan (John) Ossian and her Mother Verus (Beebe) Ossian-Morris.
A Memorial Service will be held at Lunning Chapel in Burlington, Iowa on Saturday April 30, 2016 at 2pm. Her remains have been cremated in accordance with Jo's wishes. Jo will be buried with her Father Johan (John) Ossian and her Mother Verus (Beebe) Ossian in Aspen Grove at the conclusion of the service. Family and Friends will then have a Celebration of her Life at a location to be determined.