Obituary of Jo Ann Hardy Whitney

A life well lived as ended. A beautiful wife and mother is gone. Jo Ann Hardy was the only daughter of Milford D. Hardy and Julia Annie Squires. Born in 1937, she enjoyed a childhood in the Florida Everglades with her family including 5 older brothers, Laymond, Gene, Harold, Delbert and Jimmy. Jo learned many skills there such as how to put an alligator to sleep by rubbing it's belly, making guava jelly and how to sew. Her mother made most of her clothes and taught her to sew at an early age. She used these skills through out her life to make clothing for her family and others. Jo Ann wore many hats. She was a devoted wife to her husband, Everett Whitney, for many years with whom she had four children, Jeanne, Michael, Brenda and Ellen. Jo Ann enjoyed cooking with the latest in whatever new pot or roaster was out on the market. She could also whip up something delicious in an old cast iron skillet. She mastered canning, stained glass, genealogy, muzzleloader shooting, growing African violets and gardening - she grafted a tangerine branch to a sour orange tree once with her brother Laymond. For several years she worked at Pratt & Whitney and was proud to have been a part of the team there. She had many talents and was a true renaissance woman. Jo Ann was not just smart and inventive, she was also a kind, nurturing and generous lady. Besides her loving husband and children and their spouses, she sadly leaves behind 7 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. We will all miss her so much as she rests on the banks of the Jordan. A memorial service is being planned in Florida. Central Funeral Home is honored to serve the family, 931-723-7774, centralfuneralhome.com