Jovanna "Josie" Elisabeth LaBaff

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Jovanna “Josie” LaBaff of Colorado Springs, CO. She was 87 years old and passed away peacefully in her home. She was born in Brooklyn, NY to Joseph and Angela Coraci and had two siblings Angela and Tony.

Josie was always friendly and caring to anyone who crossed her path, whether it was the produce guy at her local grocery store or the postal worker who delivered her mail. She knew them all by name and often gave them a loaf of her much-loved chocolate chip pumpkin bread. Josie was a lifelong crafter and for the last 15 years of her life she loved making greeting cards. During the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, she mailed weekly cards to friends and relatives all over the country to bring them some cheer during those uncertain times. Josie’s passion for card making touched all who knew her.

Josie is survived by her children Mary Ausloos (Roy), Mike Ausloos (Pat), Margaret Francis, and Mona Wolverton (Rob); her grandchildren Marie Atchley (Corey), Jason Francis, Isaac Wolverton, and Abby Wolverton; her great-grandchild Jackson Atchley; siblings Angela Snyder and Tony Coraci (Josie); several nieces, nephews and cousins; as well as many close friends and healthcare workers who will miss her dearly.

Josie was preceded in death by her husband Steve, son-in-law Randy Francis, and brother-in-law Duane Snyder.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m. at Swan-Law Funeral Directors at 501 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. In lieu of flowers, it was Josie’s final wish to have donations made in her memory to Operation Gratitude, where she donated her time and talent the last four years of her life making and donating over 4000 greeting cards to put in care packages sent to Troops serving abroad. It brought her a lot of joy to know that the service members used these cards to write letters to their loved ones back home. https://giving.operationgratitude.com/campaign/imo-josie/c616065