Josephine Dain

September 26, 1929 - March 26, 2015

Jo Dain (née Ciraco), 85, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away surrounded by family on Thursday, March 26. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Art; infant son, Joseph; and parents, Frank and Rose Ciraco.

She is survived by her children, Frank (Bill Sensenbrenner), Rosanne Austin, Michael (Martha), John (Laurie) and AnnMarie Hall (Dave); 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and brothers, Vito and Vince.

She was a life-long member of St. Anthony of Padua Church, where she served as a Eucharistic Minister and Lector/Commentator. She and Art organized and cooked for many spaghetti and pasta fagiole dinners held in the church basement. She was tireless in working at many events in support of the church and school.

She was a member of the Calabrian Guild, serving as both President and Finance Treasurer, and was named "Mother of the Year." She was a member of the St. Monica Society and was the Correspondence Secretary for the Columbian Ladies' Guild, the women's arm of The Knights of Columbus. In 1998, she was named "Woman of the Year" by St. Anthony's chapter of the Holy Name Society.

She played piano from an early age and was called on to provide accompaniment for individuals and groups. For many years, she was the pianist for The Goodyear Singers and, at one time, for the Y.W.C.A. Fred Waring Choir. She also was the pianist for many programs performed by the children at St. Anthony's School and often substituted as the organist for Sunday masses. She was a highly skilled typist and a whiz at shorthand (remember that?). These skills landed her a job right after graduating from North High School in the Bellows Order Department as the secretary of the head of the department and, later, as a temp for Manpower. Her last temp job was for Pappas Realty, who was so impressed with her that they hired her as secretary/office manager. She continued in that capacity until she retired.

She was also an expert at the sewing machine and in the kitchen. She was known and praised for her holiday baking dozens of different types of cookies at Christmas, Easter Bread, birthday cakes and passed on her knowledge to her children. She loved working in her flower garden and was especially fond of lilies of the valley and lavender.

She and Art bowled in the Cugine League, made up of members of the Dain/Dinie/Ciraco family, which celebrated the end of the season with a picnic full of food, games and a lot of laughs.

The family thanks the staff, and especially the nurses and aides at Danbury Woods for the loving care they provided, not only to mom, but to us as well. Their concern and generosity to the end provided us with much-needed comfort. They were the guardian angels for mom on earth. She taught us the importance of family, to respect others, to do a job to the best of our abilities, and to be grateful for what we have. Oh, and she passed on the famous "Jo Dain look," which we will miss more than we can ever say.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Anthony Church, 83 Mosser Place Akron. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Friends will be received from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Hennessy Funeral Home (corner of York and Main) 552 N. Main St. Akron.