Mary Jo Oden

Mary Jo Oden, 85, of Waukon, IA, died Saturday, March 17, 2018, at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Memorial services will be held Friday, March 23, 2018, at 11:00 AM at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, with Pastor Steve Oden officiating. Inurnment will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Visitation is from 9:30 AM until time of services at the funeral home on Friday.

Mary Jo Oden was born July 7, 1932, at the Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, IA, the daughter of Robert Dean and Ocie Leota (Burdick) Carr. In 1951, she graduated from Theodore Roosevelt Senior High in Des Moines. On June 12, 1954, Jo married Robert Miles Oden at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines. She lived in several towns in Iowa and also for a time in Quantico, VA, while Bob was in the Marine Corps. While in Des Moines, Jo worked for the Equitable Life Insurance Company, for American Lithograph, and in the records department of the Iowa DNR at the Wallace State Office Building. She very much enjoyed serving for 15 years in the Grey Ladies Volunteer Division of the American Red Cross at both the Methodist and the Veteran's Hospitals in Des Moines. While living in Ottumwa, IA, she served as president of the PTA. After moving to Waukon, IA, in 1969 she worked at State Farm Insurance and she and Bob owned and operated J&B Canoe Outfitters.

Jo was an active and vibrant person who enjoyed being outside. Going camping, biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing were some of her favorite activities. She was an accomplished ceramic maker and an immaculate housekeeper, taking pride in making her home welcoming for family and friends. Jo greatly enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as spending time at "The Woods", a family owned recreational retreat.

Jo is survived by her husband Bob of Waukon; her two children: Steven D. (Robin) Oden of Waukon and Michael J. (Jean Ann) Oden of Greensboro, NC; grandchildren: Joanna (James) Downing, IA, Nicole (Joshua) Hutson, WI, Bailey (Lovesky) Velez, Dominican Republic, Shea (Ashley) Oden, MN, Tade (Colleen) Willger, VA, Leah (Brett) King, NC, Tom Willger, TX, and Sam Willger, DC; and great-grandchildren: Moriah Jo, Miriam, James, Melea, Robbie, Mia, Seth, Adelaide, Julian, and Hazel. She was preceded in death by her parents Robert Carr and Ocie Powers; a sister Cynthia Sue Carr Palmer; an infant brother Robert Dean Carr; half-sisters Patty and Kathy Carr; and half-brother Dennis Powers.