Josephine Freeman Oliver

June 29, 1924 – April 23, 2017

Jo was born in Savannah GA to George Parrish Freeman and Eula Jo Pendergrass Freeman on June 29, 1924 at Telfair Hospital. She was the third of four children born from this marriage. She was preceded in death by brothers Parrish, Billy, and sister Frances. Raised in a broken marriage Jo lived with relatives in Savannah for a number of years before being brought to Washington, D.C. She completed her high school education at Central HS.

Married to Joseph Nelson Oliver on November 18, 1944 just prior to his being shipped out to the Pacific theater of WWII. The couple lived in an apartment in Georgetown. Their marriage brought two children, Donald Nelson Oliver, and Susan Carol Oliver Lewis. She is survived by five grandchildren, Brian Reynolds, Russell Reynolds, Loryn Baglione, David Oliver, and James Lewis. She had ten great grandchildren.

Brothers married sisters and the families of Bill and Frances Oliver and Nelson and Jo Oliver were very close knit, so much so that the children of those marriages felt lucky to have two sets of parents. So in a way Bill, Sharon, Larry and Bob are also among her grieving children.

Jo was ahead of her time in many ways. Although she would deny it, she was an artist, having dabbled in charcoal free hand drawing, stained glass, cross-stitch, building doll houses and furnishings. While in high school she wanted to take a drafting class, but the school administrators said no because that was a boys class. She also had an incredible ability to teach herself the skills required to take on plumbing, electrical and home maintenance.

Jo held a number of jobs over her lifetime, some paid, some volunteer. She worked as a secretary for the lawyers in what was then called the GAO. She also worked for a time as a dental assistant, a payroll administrator for the Hecht Company, a clerk for the FBI, and a secretary in the Guidance Office at DuVal HS, and later as the school secretary for the night school there. Among her volunteer efforts, she taught Sunday school, delivered Meals on Wheels and took a course in braille so that she could create braille copies of popular books.

To Jo family was the most important part of her life. Each year at Christmas she would host a family gathering for all who wanted to come. Her love and devotion to family will be sorely missed.

Family will receive friends on Friday, April 28, 2017 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at Colonial Funeral Home of Leesburg, 201 Edwards Ferry Rd, Leesburg, VA  20176 where a service will begin at 12:00 pm.  Interment will follow at Union Cemetery, Leesburg, VA.

The family requests in lieu of flowers donations sent to:

Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland Attn Development Office 515 South Haven St. Baltimore MD 21224