Farewell to a Grand Lady, Jo Powell

Today our Relief Society had a special program for a good sister in the ward who is moving to California to be near family. She is Jo Powell, and it was my honor and privilege to be her visiting teaching companion for over a year since living in this ward. Even though she is eighty-five years old, we related well from the beginning.

Jo, is short for Josephine. I like her short name best, and Jo fits her better too. She is our ward organist, and ward choir pianist. She is a very talented voice coach as well. She is a convert of sixty years in the Church and has a strong, firm testimony of the it.

She had not had an easy life. Her faith has seen her through so much. I appreciate her example and friendship and accepted her great love for me that she showed to me instantaneously. We had some great talks after our visits to our sisters. I felt like she was my good friend.

I was most impressed with her when we visited one of our dear sisters who had Alzheimer's. She was assigned to Joyce long before I was her companion. We went each month and Jo talked to her as if she could understand every word. She spoke so lovingly to her and at times it appeared like she made eye contact and Joyce responded as if she knew every word we said, but could not express verbally back.

I learned so much from Jo about loving and doing as Jesus would have done in the service of this dear sister. We would each participate to give the message every month. The last time I saw Joyce, my companion was out of town during the holidays.

I gave the lesson to her and her husband, who had taken excellent care himself for her over five years until her passing a few weeks after the New Year. I appreciated Jo's example all the more for teaching me to treat Joyce no different, and give the lesson each time regardless of whether she could respond or not.

Jo, a widow has a great missionary spirit and had filled a mission with her sweetheart before he passed away seven years ago. I will miss her strong spirit and hearing her bear her testimony often, her strong singing voice, and beautiful music she played as our ward organist.

I was so glad the Relief Society presidency put together this reception of sorts. There was a short program where men from our ward choir sang a barber-shop rendition of "Let me Call you Sweetheart." She loved it and shared some her life experiences and testimony again with us. We filled a memory book with our comments to her one last time made into a scrapbook.

Some of the older sisters who are closest to her were lamenting her leaving. I felt that it was better for us to say goodbye this way than for her to pass away and not be able to let her go now. They agreed and wanted Jo to have her family in California enjoy her as we have and grateful for that association. Until we meet again.

I will post some pictures later of Jo, and some of us at the reception in her honor.