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Jo-Ann Aldridge
Jo-Ann Aldridge entered eternal life on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Her spirit is carried on by her husband, children, grandchildren, siblings and an extended family of relations and friends who she held dearly in her heart.
Jo-Ann was born on March 3, 1942 to Donald and Ruth Stevenson in Tucson, Arizona. She was raised in Tiger and Oracle, Arizona, under the love and careful watch of her big brothers, Tom and Dan Stevenson. Her beloved sisters joined her family as Tom married Peg and Dan married Kathryn. Jo-Ann’s joy multiplied as nieces and nephews were born to love and adore.
Jo-Ann graduated from San Manuel High School and luckily for hundreds of young children, she graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in education. Jo-Ann’s teaching career spanned over 30 years from Williams, AZ to Idaho, and ended with over 20 years serving the kindergarten families in her hometown of Oracle. Her compassion came through in her teaching and in the witness of former students who continued to greet, hug and thank her for her dedication to them.
While in Idaho, Jo-Ann met her husband of 43 years, David Aldridge. There, in Swan Valley, ID they had a son, Justin, and daughter, Allison. They returned to Oracle, Arizona in 1979 where they raised their two children and much later added son-in-law, Andrew Hendrix, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer (Hammack) to their tight knit family.
In 2004, upon Jo-Ann’s retirement from the Oracle School District, her first granddaughter, Elena Hendrix, was born, followed four years later by Mylee Hendrix, and a year later by Ruby Aldridge. Jo-Ann’s love and devotion was amplified in her grandchildren who she doted on for the last eleven years of her life.
Retirement allowed Jo-Ann and Dave to go on several adventures together. Passionate about enjoying all of God’s gifts, the couple traveled as often as possible. Destinations such as Alaska, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, Canada, Yellowstone, the Smokey Mountains, Glacier and Yosemite brought them great joy.
Jo-Ann’s love for others showed through in her loyalty to her Oracle Union Church family, her gym family, and her continued devotion to the preschool children of Oracle School District. Her love wasn’t reserved just for those she knew, it was given freely to strangers out and about, to the doctors and nurses who cared for her, to friends of friends, and all mankind.
While Jo-Ann will be greatly missed, her legacy of love lives on in the lives of those she touched. A memorial service will be held for her on Saturday, March 26th at 2 p.m. at the Oracle Piano Society’s Oracle Center for the Arts. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to Casa de La Luz Hospice, Oracle Union Church or the Oracle Schools Foundation.
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