Robbye Jo Quinter

Faithful servant Robbye Jo Woodard Quinter passed away quietly in Ashburn, Virginia on January 17, 2020 at the age of 97 following several days of tender bedside care provided to her by her loving family. She was born January 6, 1923 in the small farming community of Purdon, in Navarro County, Texas. Her parents were the late Sojourner and Bertie Belle (Ward) Woodard. She graduated valedictorian in 1940 from Purdon High School. Following her graduation she attended the Navarro Commercial College and became a stenographer. In 1942 during World War II at the age of 19 she made an adventurous and lifechanging decision – she took the “Cotton Belt” train from her family’s cotton farm to Washington D.C. and worked for the U.S. Government in the Office for Emergency Management. She later returned to Texas to help her mother move from the family farm to the city of Dallas, staying for 2 years while working for the War Production Board. She returned to Washington D.C. in 1945 to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture where she met Elwood Leroy Quinter (from Berks County, PA) and they were married in 1947. Both “Jo” and “Quinter” worked for the U.S. Government and settled first in Arlington and then in McLean, Virginia while raising three daughters, Grace Noreen, Judith Ann, and Donna Jo. Jo retired in 1983 from the Department of the Interior where she proudly worked in the Office of the Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In her daily life, Jo was an ever-present beacon of hospitality, generosity and goodness. She was a very loyal servant for her entire life. Her love and service to God, her church family, and her beloved family and friends, were always a central part of her vibrant life. Jo was extremely active in the First Baptist Church of Clarendon and remained a faithful member there for 60 years. She was extremely active in church affairs serving as a Deacon, teaching Sunday school and worked tirelessly on numerous committees. She served as Church Hostess for over 30 years where she, along with several devoted helpers, lovingly prepared and served Wednesday night dinners and receptions to hundreds of church members up until the late 1990’s. In recent years, while living at Ashby Ponds, she was a member of the Leesburg Community Church and enjoyed the worship and fellowship there lead by its former Pastor, Dr. Alan Stanford. She enjoyed ocean cruising and world traveling with trips to Europe, Alaska, Hawaii and the Canadian Rockies. Her ancestral lineage can be traced back to Stephen Austin’s “The Old Three Hundred”, which were the original 297 settlers of The Republic of Texas. Perhaps she received some of her pioneering and adventurous spirit from her ancestors. She loved and took pride in many things among those were her African violets, her backyard azaleas, her love of birds - especially cardinals, eating lobster on the Maine Coast, antiquing and traveling with family and friends. She always treasured family gatherings where her much sought-after cooking and her warm, accommodating ways were second to none. Despite her quiet and gentle manner, she was a very crafty and competitive pinochle, gin rummy and scrabble player. Over the years she enjoyed winning hundreds of challenging games with family and friends, especially with her daughters and grandchildren. Two fun and endearing memories family members have are the bottomless dish of Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses she always had sitting out in her living room and the endless supply of miniature Snickers bars she kept in her freezer for family members to snack on at all hours of the day and night. She is survived and admired by her three loving daughters, Noreen McIntosh of Herndon, VA; Judith Smith (Garrett) of Philadelphia, PA; and Donna Quinter of Nashua, NH; seven grandchildren, Mary Jo (McIntosh) Butler (Benjamin), Scott A. McIntosh, Christopher W. McIntosh (Grace Lenihan), Judson Q. Smith (Elizabeth Hancock), Stephanie M. (Smith) Desjardins (Garret), Henry W. “Tripp” McElroy III, Shannon Jo (McElroy) Peifer (Bradley) and one step-granddaughter Kelley (McElroy) O’Hara (Walter). She leaves nine great-grandchildren, Zachary Butler, Caleb Butler (Haley), Everleigh and Breah McIntosh, Ruby, Wells and Charlotte Smith, Sullivan and Avery Peifer, and two step great-grandchildren Riley and Luke O’Hara. She will also be missed by many adoring nieces and nephews from Texas and Virginia. In addition to her parents she is predeceased by her husband, Elwood Leroy Quinter, her three siblings Donald Woodard, Grace Slack, Mildred Evans, a son-in-law CDR Wilton “Mac” McIntosh, U.S. Navy (Retired), and a great-granddaughter Marie Smith Desjardins. The family would like to thank the Ashby Ponds staff and the Capital Care hospice workers who provided wonderful care. Jo loved the staff at Ashby Ponds, and they loved her. Memorial gifts can be made to the Ashby Ponds’ Scholars Fund which offers college scholarships to staff members. Contact: Elisabeth Longworth, Ashby Ponds, 21170 Ashby Ponds Drive, Ashburn, VA 20127 [email protected] or (571) 291-6070 Memorial arrangements are being handled by the National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia 22042. Visitation and a Memorial Service will be held in the chapel beginning at 10:30 AM followed by a brief grave site service and burial at the adjacent National Memorial Park.