Jo Anne (Henry) Empey

Empey, Jo Anne (Henry) died peacefully at St. Mary's in Duluth, MN with both of her sons by her side on Aug. 13, 2017. She was 70 years old. Ms. Empey was born on Oct. 26, 1946 in Albany, NY, to her parents, John and Gerda Henry. She graduated from St. Cloud State with a bachelor in education. While attending college, she met her future husband and best friend, Allen Empey. They were married on Aug. 16, 1969 in Mound, MN. Allen owned a hardware store and Jo was a lifelong teacher. She dedicated all of her working years to education. She worked at: Ramsey, Sandburg, and retired from Fred Moore Elementary School. After retirement, she continued to teach at King Elementary and the Deer River High School. She obtained her masters in education from St. Mary's University. Ms. Empey was passionate about her Christian faith as a Lutheran. She loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She loved the water and grew up on Lake Minnetonka, had a cabin on Goodrich Lake and retired to Johnson Lake. Ms. Empey is survived by her sons, Peter and Jason; her brother, Paul; many nieces and nephews; and her grandchildren Cody and Katelyn. She is preceded in death by her husband, Allen; her parents, John Paul and Gerda; her Bister, Anita; and many beloved brothers and sisters-in-law. A memorial/celebration of life gathering will be held at Rowe Funeral Home in Grand Rapids on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 1-3 p.m.

Published on August 20, 2017