Jo (Shuman) Frey was beloved by many and will be remembered fondly by those who knew her. Wife, mom, 娜娜 (Nana), sister, aunt, friend, teacher, “the art lady”, flower and bird lover, breast cancer survivor, and “a great cook” are some of the roles for which she is most warmly remembered. Jo passed away peacefully at her home in Estes Park, CO on June 29, 2020.
Jo was born on a farm in El Paso, IL on February 15, 1934, the eldest child of Paul and Thelma (Grube) Shuman. Jo graduated as valedictorian from El Paso High School in 1952, then earned a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois in 1956 before beginning her teaching career in Hinsdale, IL. In 1959, Jo visited Madison, Wisconsin where she met her future husband on a blind date. She pursued both him and a master’s degree in education over the next two years.
Jo and Mern (Merwin Frey of Manhattan, KS) began 59 years of married life together in El Paso, IL on June 24, 1961. Their life together was enhanced by the arrival of children - David and Jeanne – while in Ames, IA in 1968 and 1970. From Ames, they ventured to Stillwater, OK, Lincoln, NE and then back to the Ames area when the kids went off to college. Jo’s children’s friends remember her for fantastic lasagna and amazing care packages.
When Jo stopped working as a school teacher, she continued as an educator -- as a volunteer “art lady” at her children’s school in Lincoln, as a cook who passed down her skills to her daughter, and as a nature lover who shared her love for all things beautiful and the names of countless birds and flowers with her family.
Travel to see family and explore new places – egged on by her husband and kids – was a frequent activity throughout Jo’s life, including yearly family trips to Estes Park, CO. Over the course of their marriage, the couple traveled extensively across the USA and Europe, to Africa and on numerous occasions to Beijing and Shanghai to visit the couple’s son, daughter-in-law and cherished grandchildren.
In 2016, Jo and Mern settled in Estes Park, where they enjoyed a majestic view of the Rocky Mountains at the Good Samaritan Society. Although memories and bodies were becoming more frail, the couple thrived in this setting, enjoying numerous visits from family and friends, frequent sight-seeing trips through Rocky Mountain National Park, elk grazing in the meadow outside their home, great meals and friendly servers at The Trailhead and Sweet Basilico, and daily lunch with friends and the good-hearted staff at Good Samaritan.
Jo is survived by her husband Merwin Frey of Estes Park, children David Frey (Helen Cheng) of Brookline, MA and Jeanne Frey (Amanda Graveline) of Watertown, MA, sister Jean (Dave) Stumpf of Bloomington, IL, grandchildren Kyla, Kerry and Connor, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and their families.
A socially distant memorial service is being held at the Estes Valley Memorial Gardens at 11am on July 14, preceded by a memorial for close friends and family. The family will also hold a Zoom memorial on July 14 and is encouraging memorial contributions in Jo’s name to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy (https://rmconservancy.org/join-or-give/donate/).
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