Jo Ann Elliott

She was predeceased by her dad, Louis Elliott; paternal grandparents, Virgil and Alice Elliott; and maternal grandparents, Derwood and Joyce Beck.

She is survived by her mom, Catherine Jane Elliott; her siblings, Cindy Lane, Mary Moss (Ray), and Bob Elliott (Linette); and uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Jo Ann was raised in Rockledge, Florida. In 1984, she moved with her parents to Bushnell, Florida, where she graduated high school.

After graduation, she worked as a landscaper with ARC in Bushnell. In 1995 she moved to Michigan with her parents, eventually moving to the Upper Peninsula. She worked in janitorial services at the Soo Locks in Sault St. Marie and at Copper Country Mental Health in Houghton, assigned to the janitorial staff at the Calumet Theatre.

At the age of two, Jo was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis, the illness causing her to be developmentally delayed. At that time, doctors did not give her parents much hope for a “normal” life. Once her parents saw she knew the difference between right and wrong, she was treated the same as their other children.

She attended school, eventually integrating and graduating from high school, and like any other adult, when the time came, she moved out of her parent’s home and lived independently for more than 20 years.

Her mom was her biggest advocate, creating a social group to bring families of children and adults with developmental delays and disabilities together to shine a light on and raise awareness of these issues. She became an integral part of an amazing network of like-minded people working toward the same goal of moving developmentally delayed individuals toward living independently. Her mom did an amazing job of taking care of Jo, which is reflected in the way she was able to live independently.

Unfortunately, many of you never had the extreme pleasure of knowing Jo Ann. Although she didn’t live what some might consider a “normal” life, would tell you she had a great life. She loved her apartment and lived independently for over 20 years. She worked at jobs she enjoyed and refused a day off. She loved hanging out at the Northern Lights Clubhouse in Hancock and the weekly lunches with her friends, she was happy, she was brave, she was goofy, she loved to laugh and she loved her family. She was as obnoxious and annoying as the youngest sibling should be.

She was smart and funny, and could remember names, places and dates as a savant. She loved the Three Stooges and would mimic Shemp at home and even while in the hospital. She also loved music, especially Elvis, The Beatles and 60’s classics. She loved a good thunderstorm and the snow before it turned black and gross.

She spent the first seven months of this year in and out of medical appointments and very painful procedures, with hardly a complaint; the goal was a kidney transplant, and she was determined to get there. She taught us kindness, tolerance, patience and acceptance of others, we are beyond grateful that we were able to spend every day of the last six months with her as she so bravely fought her illness.

We would like to thank her friends and the staff at BRAVO, CCMHS, and Northern Lights Clubhouse; you were her favorite people. We would also like to thank her doctors, nurses, infusion and dialysis teams at UP Health System – Portage, the teams at UP Health System – Marquette and the transplant team at UW-Madison for the kindness and care shown to Jo Ann throughout her treatment.

We would request that any memorial tributes be made as charitable donations to the TSC Alliance at (800) 225-6872, www.tscalliance.org or Clubhouse International at (212) 582-0343 clubhouse-intl.org.

Jo Ann, Jo Ann, Jo Ann, we love and miss you more than any words could ever express.

The O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home of Hancock is assisting with the arrangements. To leave online condolences, please go to www.oneilldennisfh.com.