May 31, 1935 – June 24, 2020
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our loving mother, grandma, and Baba Jo Petillion who passed away peacefully after a brief and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Everyone loved Jo! She was a lively character and there was no one like her!
Jo’s children will cherish her memory with love and gratitude: Carol (Russell), Gary (Donna), Allan (Wendy), Todd (Val), and Lori (Jocko). She will also be lovingly remembered by her grandchildren Tamara (Nathan), Nikki (Jason), Dean, Maya, Brent (Sarah), Mitchell (Jillian), Ashley, Jeffrey, Tyler, Riley, Kyle, Taryn and Tyler along with 8 great-grandchildren Hannah, Evan, Keisha, Zephyr, Mannix, Jasper, Beckham, Jude, Seth and new baby Annabelle. Jo was predeceased by her kind and gentle husband Frank in March 2015.
Josephine was born in 1935 in the small city of Atikokan, Ontario. She spent most of her childhood in Atikokan where she made many lifelong friends. It is there she met Frank, the love of her life! They shared in the love of their five children who were a central focus of their lives.
In 1964 the family moved to Kelowna, where Jo raised her children in the Rutland community. Jo, also known as “Baba” by all her family, loved to host large family gatherings. There were always fresh buns, soup, cabbage rolls and homemade bread for family, neighbors and friends like the Red Hatters. She spent many years working as a seasonal employee at Mclean & Fitzpatrick Packinghouse where she made more lifelong friends.
Jo could always be counted on to support her family through life’s challenges, celebrations and adventures. She had no difficulty letting you know exactly what she was thinking or feeling.
Her love of a good card game and kicking the pants off one of her kids or grandkids made her so happy. She reveled in the company of family, friends, and her church friends with the Catholic Women’s League, where she was a volunteer for 62 years catering at family weddings and funerals. Jo was also an active volunteer for the Interior Health Authority for over 25 years at baby immunization clinics.
She loved to sing and dance. Her favorite thing to do when she travelled and came home to Canada was to sing “Oh Canada” as soon she crossed the border. One of her favorite pass-times was going to the casino and visiting with new friends she met there. Jo was a very social woman and always eager to help others wherever she could. She loved her family fiercely and said her eyes were just too darn close to her bladder and hence the tears of love that easily flowed from her eyes during family gatherings. Baba was inclusive and always encouraged everyone to take part in activities to have fun. She would say “the more the merrier… cause my friends are your friends!” The family is so very thankful to have recently celebrated Mother’s Day, and her 85th Birthday with her.
Josephine, we can see you dancing with Frankie and we know he was waiting for you. You will be missed!
A celebration of Mass for family will be held on Friday, July 3rd at 1 pm at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. A live-stream of the service will be available for family and friends who are not able to attend due to gathering size restrictions through https://www.limelightstudios.co/petillion at 1:00 pm. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.valleyviewfuneralhome.com for the Petillion family.
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