Jo Ann Fessler Jo Ann Fessler

Jo Ann Fessler, 86, of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, passed away Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, at Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 6, 2020, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Bonners Ferry. Interment will follow at Grandview Cemetery.

Jo Ann was born to Harry and Edith Davis on Aug. 14, 1933, in Spirit Lake, Idaho. She was the eldest of three children: Yvonne Davis and Keith Davis, Spokane, Wash.

As a child, mom was familiar with the Bonners Ferry area as her grandfather worked at Brown’s Mill in Naples, Idaho, and the family would spend summers there.

Mom graduated from Rogers High School in Spokane and went on to work as an X-ray technician at Sacred Heart Medical Center for roughly two years. Mom came to Bonners Ferry to be a bridesmaid for her cousin, Norma Tudor, as she married dad’s cousin, Gene Neumayer; that is where mom met her future husband, Arnold. While dad was enlisted in the Navy during the Korean War, they corresponded back and forth. They were married on April 18, 1953, in Spokane.

After moving to Bonners Ferry, mom worked at the local hospital as an X-ray technician until starting a family. She later worked for Dr. Mills as a receptionist and then for Dr. Barker.

Together, on the family farm in Bonners Ferry, they raised four children: Gary (Julie), Allen (Jenny), Neal (Anita) and Terri (Chris Bork). Her family was her joy and she held a special love for each of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who all hold cherished memories of her.

Jo Ann is preceded in death by her parents and sister, Yvonne. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Arnold Fessler; her four children; nine grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren; brother Keith (Karen) Davis; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mom will be truly missed for her bright smile, her contagious laughter and her unconditional love for her family.