Josephine Marie Walsh McConnell, age 87 of Valparaiso, passed away October 31, 2012. Josephine’s parents Joseph and Maria Walsh were from County Mayo, Ireland. Jo was born in New York, NY and was raised in Gary, IN and graduated from Horace Mann High School in 1943, where she was Secretary of the Senior Class and Secretary of the Student Council that year. Jo graduated from Indiana University in 1948 where she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She worked her way through college which explains the date discrepancy. All of her employment experience was at the Gary Public Library where she began as a page in high school, to School Consultant, and Acting Head of the Extension Department. During 1948-49 she worked on, but didn’t complete, her masters degree in Library Science at the University of Illinois, but got married instead.
Jo’s civic activities included serving on the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters in Crown Point, IN, Mid-Mesabi, MN and Mount Lebanon, PA, Board of Directors of the American Association of University Women in Virginia, MN and Board of Directors of the South Hills College Club, Pittsburgh, PA.
After her husband Jim retired they traveled for several years and loved seeing Australia, Austria, the British Isles, Denmark, Eastern and Western Canada, Fiji, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy and Sicily, New Zealand, Norway, Paris, southern Germany and Sweden.
Jo was preceded in death by her parents, infant son David, brother John Walsh, sister Hannah Walsh and brother-in-law William McConnell. She is survived by her husband James D. McConnell of Valparaiso; children Mary McKee of Indianapolis, Susan (Jack) Hafeli of Chicago and Matthew (Jennifer) McConnell of Cumming, GA; grandchildren Lucas Ben (Jill) Hafeli, Katie and Michelle McKee, Zoe McConnell and numerous nieces and nephews.
Jo’s friends are invited to meet with her family on Saturday, November 10, 2012 from 10 a.m. until time of Memorial Service at noon at Burns Funeral Home, 701 E. 7th St., Hobart, IN. Cremation at Burns Funeral Home Crematory will precede the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jo’s memory may be made to the Alzheimers Association, 50 E. 91st St., Ste. 100, Indianapolis, IN 46209-4830.
www.burnsfuneral.com
Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.