Jo Ann Vigor Fowler

Our dear mother, Jo Ann Vigor Fowler, died on 9/3/25. She is survived by her three children: Joycelyn (her husband Peter and their children Andrew and his two sons Harrison and Riley, Stephen and his son Teddy and daughter Adelaide and Hadley), Chris (his wife Jean and their two children Christopher and his son Braydon and Michael) and David.

She lived an incredibly vibrant life all of the way to a couple weeks shy of 99. She wouldn’t want the world to know that, but we are proud of her strength, resilience and thankful of her care and love of all of us for the entirety of our lives. What she would want people to know is that she graduated number one in her high school class and was a pioneer on the women’s basketball team in Weston, WV. We would joke that was in the small town of Weston. Her response was “that was where I was born and I repeated it again at West Virginia University (‘WVU”)” where she graduated with an honorary degree in Journalism. We didn’t joke when it was time for homework and she eagerly helped writing reports and making sure we used proper syntax.

At WVU she met our father, Emil Eugene Fowler, aka Joe or Gene, from Morgantown, WV. Our father knew what he had and courted her immediately after meeting. They were ultimately married for over 50 years. She followed my father to Oak Ridge, Tennessee where our father began work at a new government agency called the Atomic Energy Commission where he would later become Director of Isotopes. (He could never explain to us what that job entailed). Joyce and Chris were born there prior to our father being moved to HQ outside of Washington DC. Next came David. She would describe those early years with her young children and fast friends from the neighborhood in Bethesda as the happiest of her life. Once all the kids got to kindergarten she broke ground again as a young woman by going to work for BioScience Magazine in 1964. In a very different world, she rose to News Editor while making it consistently clear to her bosses that her family came first. She juggled both expertly. She managed her job, the house, the homework and us and only rarely had to say “Wait until your father gets home”. As our father traveled extensively around the world she used her love and skills to keep us mostly in line.

Opportunity struck again for my father when they jointly decided that he should take a job with the International Atomic Energy Agency. There began a great adventure for the both of them when they moved from Bethesda, MD to Vienna, Austria. Our mother loved Vienna and Austria as well as getting the opportunity to travel all over Europe and Asia. In Vienna, our mom rekindled a love for the game of bridge and was a sought after bridge partner well into her 90s.

After their return from Europe, Jo Ann stoked her entrepreneurial spirit with a good neighborhood friend selling Doncaster clothing. She loved it as she craved personal connections with people. It was always about the people and trips the job afforded her not whatever small amount of money that was made. In her desire for connectivity, she volunteered for numerous causes including: “So Others Might Eat”, the annual Flower Mart to raise donations for The National Cathedral, and The Washington Antiques Show. She was a member of the DAR and Kenwood Country Club for 58 years.

We, the family and her friends will miss her dearly as a mom, grandmother, buddy, confidant and guiding light.

In lieu of flowers, should you wish, please make a contribution to the American Cancer Society.