Josephine Isabel Topshe

Josephine IsabelJoseph Topshe, 94, of Sandy Springs, departed life Thursday, September 8, 2011. Josephine was born in Albany, GA to immigrant parents from Lebanon. She was raised there and eventually met her husband, Norman. They married in 1940, and moved to Atlanta where Norman would begin his career as a pilot with an upstart company named Delta Airlines. Josephine began taking flying lessons and then she found out she was pregnant with her first child. Josephine and Norman had a total of seven children over a span of 20 years. She was a dedicated mother, hand making dresses for her daughters, cooking and baking Lebanese food, for not only her family but any one who stepped through the doorway of her home. Josephine had tireless energy, volunteering as a scout leader, serving in the Catholic altar guild and in later years as a “Pink Lady” at South Fulton Hospital. Through the years she was very involved with The Cedar Club of Atlanta and The Southern Federation of Syrian and Lebanese American Club, to which she was elected Woman of the Year in 1986. In the 80’s and 90’s Josephine enjoyed being a volunteer for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The Delta Golden Wings wives club and the Spalding Woods Garden Club. “Mama Jo”, as she was affectionately called by her grandchildren and great grandchildren, was known for her fun and spontaneous sense of humor and many practical jokes. Her zest for life was contagious to all around her. Josephine was preceded in death by her husband Norman S. Topshe; her only son, Norman Jr.; brothers, Joe and Fred Joseph; sisters, Jumelia Helou, Marie Haraka, Marguerite David, and Juliette Bowman. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Nora Ernst; brother-in-law, David Bowman; six daughters and five son-in-laws, Sondra Coletti, Loretta and Robert Thornburg, Cheryl and Sherman Wade, Trina and Joe Kriss, Denise and Richard Mastry, Leisa and Jeff Davis; 15 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends Monday, September 12, 2011 from 5 to 7 o’clock with a prayer at 7 o’clock at H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd, NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. A Funeral Mass will be Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 11 o’clock at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church with The Rev. James Fennessy as the Celebrant. Interment will follow at Arlington Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101 or to Interim Healthcare Hospice.