Jody "Jo" Ann Staley, resident of Athol, passed away Sept. 1, 2011, in Coeur d'Alene. She was born June 27, 1960, in Fairmont, W.Va., to James Howell and Gloria Davidson and later adopted by Lenerd Davidson.

She attended Claymont High in Ohio, Newport High in Pennsylvania and later attended the Columbus Ohio School for the Deaf where she received her teaching degree. On March 23, 1995, Jo married her soul mate Michael Staley in Las Vegas, Nev. She lived in Ohio, Kentucky and California before coming to Idaho in 2000.

She was a sign language teacher at Blanchard Community Church and the North Idaho College Training Center as well as a teacher and interpreter for Lancaster Community College in California and elementary, junior high and high school in Ohio and later worked for Mountain West Bank in Post Falls as a loan officer.

She also managed hotels in Ohio and Kentucky and loved that she was able to work with people. Jo belonged to Blanchard Community Church and loved to do baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas and do sign language out front to lead people to Christ. She was Miss Ohio in 1995 and Miss Congeniality for five years in a row. Jo loved doing pageants and meeting lifelong friends.

She enjoyed fishing, hiking, camping, reading, crocheting, shopping, working in her vegetable garden and flower beds, spending time with her family and church family, volunteering at church and was adopted parent of the year in 1989. Thanks to her soul mate, Mike, she got the chance to travel all over seeing states she never would have seen without him. She continued signing and teaching as it was her passion.

She also loved volunteering for Special Olympics as her daughter, Jeannie, was involved in it. She tried crossing guard in Rathdrum, but the elements ended up being too much with her illness. Jo loved working with children and people in general which showed in the jobs she held.

She was also very blessed to marry her soul mate and childhood sweetheart. They were separated for 23 years then God brought them back together. Jo and Mike ended up enjoying 15 years together before God called her home. She was also blessed to have her daughter Jeannie. Jo was a foster parent for 17 years in Ohio and was blessed to have more than 100 children come into her life. She enjoyed her grandchildren when she got to visit them in Ohio or when they came out to visit her.

Jo was a very beautiful and inspiring woman. She was very talented, loving and caring and used that to help others. Her last known prayer was not for herself, but for her daughter, Jeannie and her husband, Mike who are also Christians and are sure they will see her in Heaven someday.

Jo is survived by her husband, Mike; mother Gloria Davidson; children, Dene (Wally) Schrof of Columbus, Ohio, Gary (Shelly) McCullough of Coshocton, Ohio, and Jeannie Davidson Staley at home; grandchildren, Zach Schrof and Ethan McCullough; siblings, Jamie (Nancy) Howell of Creighton, Pa., Robbie Howell of W.Va., Lanny (Tammy) Davidson of Ohio and Twyla Parker of Georgia; nieces and nephews, Chelsea (Brad) Watkins of Pennsylvania, Jimmy Howell of Pennsylvania, Cadence Howell of Pennsylvania, Lenny, Chris and Rayven Davidson of Ohio, Luke, Vena and Sasha Marks of California, Jake and Savanaha Rolston of Wash.

She is preceded in death by her daughter, Rebecca Christine Howell Davidson; stepfather Lenerd Davidson and her father and stepmother, James and Carole Howell.

A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, at Blanchard Creek on Poier Road followed by a memorial service at 2:30 p.m. at Blanchard Community Church.

Please sign Jo's guest registry and view her online memorial at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.