Jo Anne Magee

Jo Anne Magee moved on to be with Jesus on 4/18/2021.

Jo Anne was born in the home of her mother's parents in Greenleaf, Idaho on August 15, 1934. She was the first of four children born to  Evert and Virena (Rinard) Tuning.  In 1941, the young family moved to Sprague River, Oregon, the Modoc locus of the reservation of Klamath, Modoc, and Yahuskin Paiute tribes.  The Modocs had built a Friends (Quaker) Church when they returned from Oklahoma, and Jo Anne's parents wanted to help that church.  Jo Anne grew up with native and non-native playmates in the thriving little lumber town.

Her parents later moved to pastor other churches, so Jo Anne was living at Marion, Oregon and attended Salem Academy her freshman year of high school.  Her final years of high school were at Greenleaf Friends Academy at Greenleaf, Idaho, where she boarded with a sequence of families during those three years.  During her 1.5 years at George Fox College, she worked in Herb Swift's law office in Newberg, Oregon.  Jo Anne's parents had moved to Scotts Mills, Oregon in 1952, and she and Kenneth Magee were both part of Scotts Mills Friends Church.  Ken was drafted into the army in 1954, and made sure to propose to Jo Anne before he left for two years in Germany.  During those years, Jo Anne worked for Homeseekers Realty in Silverton. They married at Sprague River Friends Church when he returned in 1956.

Ken and Jo Anne began married life at Bly, Oregon, where Ken taught 5 ^th grade for two years.  During this time, Jeanne was born.  Noel was born the third year, when they were living at Chiloquin where Ken was teaching 5 ^th grade.  They moved to Hillsboro for 4 years of medical school, and then to Albuquerque, New Mexico for 4 years of internship and residency.  Jo Anne was always busy. While raising her children, she also cleaned house for an elderly couple, typed a master's thesis for her brother-in-law, cleaned the church, played piano for church, taught herself to play an organ with a pedalboard, sewed her children's clothes, took lessons to became an expert knitter, made friends of the many cultures represented in the apartment complex, raised her neighbor's newborn daughter for a year, and read every book she saw.  Those years were full of joy, and tinged with sorrow, as Jo and Ken's third child, John Evert, was stillborn three months early.

In 1967, Jo Anne and Ken chose Klamath Falls, Oregon, as their next place of ministry.  Jo Anne set up all the business aspects of Ken's new Internal Medicine practice, working as the office receptionist, typist, and business manager for the first year.  She continued as typist for all the years Ken was in private practice, and oversaw financial operations.

Jo's hands were never idle.  She grew lovely roses of every color.  If she was sitting, she was knitting an afghan or sweater, weaving beautiful pictures with counted cross-stitch, or turning the pages of a book. Listening to sermons, she took notes in her graceful shorthand, and diagrammed the long sentences of Apostle Paul when bored. She was an excellent seamstress, making clothes for every member of the family.  She could knit the most complex colored designs.  She volunteered at the Bookie Joint, selling used books, for years.  If a question came up at supper, curiosity demanded that the dictionary or the encyclopedia come out.  She loved to read, and family trips were often accompanied by Jo reading out loud in the car.  The back page of Outdoor Life magazine, by Patrick McManus, made her laugh so much she could hardly finish reading it to us.  She loved to laugh.  Her more memorable LPs were recorded by comedians.  She collected silly poems and stories.  Both of quick wit, she and Ken shared a lot of laughter through the years.

Jo's faith in Jesus formed the backbone of her life, carrying her through the ups and downs common in all lives.  When their fourth child, Jedediah Harmon, lived only ten days, Jo Anne was in the meeting for prayer the next Wednesday.  In her personal life, she journaled her conversations with God.  She chose carefully the hope-filled music she played at church. She had a real drive to be useful to others, setting up the church library, playing music at the Mission downtown, reading with the SMART readers at the grade school, organizing Bible study with her friends, teaching Sunday School, supplying youth group with fun activities, and working with Stonecroft Ministries—all while looking after the kids and making a fine home.  She was especially privileged to help Noel care for Jed, Hope, and Stephanie for a whole month (back in Idaho!) when Amy fell ill for a time.

In 2013, Jo and Ken moved to Salem to live with Noel and Amy and their children.  This opportunity was appreciated by all.  Jo's brain failure had begun to affect life, as her abilities disappeared one by one. Her family is thankful for the kindly care given at Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in the last two years of her life.

Jo Anne is survived by her husband of almost 65 years, Ken; her children, Jeanne and Ted Hazel of Scotts Mills, and Noel and Amy Magee of Salem; her six grandchildren:  David (Joy), Emily (Ryan), Luke (Olivia), Jedediah, Hope, and Stephanie (Peter).  Also three greatgrandchildren:  Avery, Roman, and Jasmine.  Preceding her in death were her parents, Evert and Virena; her brother, Charles; and her two sons, John and Jedediah.

She loved to bring beauty to life in many ways.  Some beauty she made, some beautiful things she collected, some beauty she grew, and some she just appreciated—motivated  by her intention to be loving to others.  We loved her, and her memory will continue to inspire us.

A celebration of Jo Anne's life will be planned at a later date.  Donations in her memory may be directed to Medical Teams International, PO Box 4288, Portland, OR 97208, or online at medicalteams.org.