Jo Ann Craver

Jo Ann Craver, age 89, of Phoenix, Ariz., passed away peacefully on July 27, 2023. A missionary to Native Americans, she touched countless lives while herself living a life emblematic of her Christian faith. She was born on June 12, 1934, in Kitzmiller, Md., the youngest child of the late Joseph Ephram Craver and Dora Virginia (Burrell) Craver. She was preceded in death by four brothers—Woodrow, Harry, Robert, and Leonard—and three sisters—Mary Elizabeth, Georgia Mae, and Esther—and is survived by many nieces and nephews.

Jo Ann graduated from Kitzmiller High School in 1952. Resolute and witty, she excelled academically and was named “best student” in her class. The characteristic quotation ascribed to her in her senior yearbook signaled a promising future and showed a serious demeanor at a tender age: “Knowledge comes easier, but wisdom lingers longer,” a line adapted from Tennyson. But she soon put aside any personal aspirations to act as caregiver for an ailing father and an enfeebled mother who had suffered a debilitating stroke—a role she would faithfully maintain until their deaths in 1964 and 1966, respectively.

After settling in Mount Morris, Pa., she joined the Mount Morris Gospel Tabernacle church, which would influence the direction of her life. In 1967, under the auspices of the Assemblies of God organization, she relocated to Arizona to begin training as a missionary to Native Americans. Over more than three decades, she would minister to thousands of men, women, and children—first at the San Carlos Apache Reservation in southeastern Arizona but later to other tribes in Arizona, Oregon, and the state of Washington.

Jo Ann’s missionary work was her life’s calling and an all-encompassing commitment. When the reservation lacked a schoolteacher, she completed the necessary training and became one. And to spread word of the triumphs and challenges of the people she served (in a time before Facebook or the internet), she established a newsletter and wrote articles for the Pentecostal Evangel and other venues.

In 1998, at the annual Convocation of Christian Indian Leaders, she was honored for her decades of service as a nationally appointed home missionary. She was granted retired honorary missionary status one year later, having settled in Phoenix, Ariz. Although hindered by failing eyesight, she continued to speak publicly and write. She also began to travel more widely, visiting Israel on several occasions and becoming personally involved with charitable organizations there. Recollections of her life and work are recorded in her book, My Journey, published in 2010.

Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, the time of her service on Saturday, August 5th, 2023 at the Mount Morris Gospel Tabernacle Assembly of God, 103 School Rd., Mt. Morris, PA 15349. Burial to follow at Cedar Grove Cemetery, Mt. Morris. Milliken and Throckmorton Funeral Home, Inc. Shane M. Ayers, Director have been entrusted with her arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Children of Jacob via the organization’s website (childrenofjacob.org) or by enclosing a check to Children of Jacob, P.O. Box 5782, Springfield, Mo., 65801.

Online condolences can be left for the family at www.milliken-throckmortonfh.com