Jo (Doris) Chandler, 93, has passed away while living at The Gardens of Cedar Rapids Care Facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She died on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, from the COVID virus.

Jo was the wife of Jim Chandler who preceded her in death 12 years ago. She and Jim had two children, Larry (Julie) and Vicki Owens (Gary). She was also blessed with two grandchildren: Elizabeth (Brett) and Matt plus a beloved great grandchild, Dante.

While Jo graduated from high school and grew up in Colfax, Iowa, she later lived in Ohio, the Chicago area, and Waterloo/Cedar Falls for many years. She was a daughter of the prairie, its blessings and challenges. She lost her mother at an early age to cancer, then was raised by a loving father, Arthur Robinson who is now deceased. She had three sisters and a brother who preceded her in death (Marjorie, Dorothy, Betty and Gerald).

Jo’s grounding in the life of the Iowa prairie took her from the depression’s challenges to a blessed life that included travels around the United States and world. And through it all, she was strongly focused on the values that she also passed to her children … a sense of integrity, hard work, belief in doing what is right, and a pride in doing things well.

Her humor was a constant through her life from her high school friends (and the girls’ basketball team in Colfax) to the close friends she and her husband had. That humor and laughter were regularly on display at the Iowa State games as Jo & Jim … and their friends … cheered the Cyclones on to victory over many years.

She also had a strong belief in helping and supporting others, such as the many years she volunteered at what was then Schoitz Hospital in Waterloo. She was a fierce competitor at cards frequently besting other family members … and laughing while enjoying her victories (and her losses). Indeed, she won another game of Hearts playing with her family members last Christmas.

Jo had a strong belief in education and reading. That included extensive reading to her children which helped them find a passion for reading and learning throughout their lives. And as she neared the end of her life, she had the unbridled joy of her great grandson Dante who always made his great grandma smile.

The family wishes to thank Alisea Peters of Visiting Angels for being such a good friend and thoughtful caregiver for Jo during recent years. The family also wants to thank The Gardens of Cedar Rapids caregivers who made such a significant difference for Jo and the Mercy Hospice staff for their invaluable assistance.

Jo and Jim were longtime members of the First United Methodist Church in Waterloo, Iowa. As she died peacefully on November 25, her family trusts and knows she is now joyfully reunited with Jim whom she so dearly loved.

Friends who wish to remember Jo could make direct memorials to the Waterloo First United Methodist Church or Mercy Hospice of Cedar Rapids.