Joanne “Jo” Ickler, 76
Joanne “Jo” Ickler, 76, of Hopedale, died Monday, Aug. 26, 2013, in the Lydia Taft House, in Uxbridge, with loving family members in attendance.
She was born in Spring Grove, Minn., the daughter of Adolph and Dorothy Larson, and grew up in Mabel, Minn.
She lived with her husband and children in Afton, Minn., for more than 20 years before moving to Massachusetts in 1983.
Jo is survived by her husband of 56 years, Glenn; four sons, Warren and his wife Pat of Rotonda West, Fla., Alan and his wife Kathy Sundberg of St. Paul, Minn., Jeffrey of Somerset, Wis., and Mitchell and his wife Rita of Beaverton, OR, two brothers Richard Larson and his wife Elaine of CA, David Larson and his wife Delores Flynn of Roseville, MN, six grandchildren, Michael, Craig, Megen, Tatiana, JonErik and Adam Ickler; and one great-grandchild, Aimee Ickler.
She attended Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in social work. She was employed for 15 years as a social worker in Minnesota and worked as an administrative assistant at a food brokerage in Massachusetts before retiring in 2002. She dealt with breast cancer and its complications for the last 30 years of her life. The greatest loves of Jo’s life were her children, grandchildren and great-granddaughter. She also loved square dancing, quilting and spending summers with Glenn at their cottage on Martha’s Vineyard. She was a member of the Fairs ’n Squares square dance club of Framingham for 28 years, serving three times as president and six times as class adviser, and held numerous other positions on the board of directors. She also served on the 40th New England Square and Round Dance Convention Committee. She was a member of the County Line Quilt Guild and the Quilters Connection Quilt Guild and exhibited her work in many of their shows.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, in First Parish in Framingham, 24 Vernon St., Framingham.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Jo’s name to the Oak Bluffs Firemens Civic Association Inc., 4 Firehouse Ln., Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
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