Josephine "Jo" Esther Maley

Esther Josephine Maley was born on July 6, 1925, with her twin brother George Washington at Ottawa, Kansas, to Mearle Abraham and Esther Stella (Harkins) Christeson. Josephine “Jo”, as she was known, married William Harold Maley at Garnett, Kansas on December 1, 1941. They were blessed with four children, Rae Jeanette, William “Bill”, Carl, and Mearle Dean.

Jo worked at many different jobs over her lifetime, including Seymore’s Processing, and Warner Manufacturing in Garnett, Kansas. When the family moved to Richmond, she worked as a sales clerk in Dietrich’s store. She later worked in Ottawa, Kansas at Mode-O-Day and H.D. Lee sewing factories. She then went back to work in Garnett at Pence’s IGA until it closed. After moving back to Garnett, Jo started up her own daycare business where she took care of many young children while their parents worked. She was licensed for seven children, but was booked to full capacity until she decided to finally retire. She loved all her kids, and they all loved going to Jo’s.

Jo loved all children and they all loved her. She had a weakness for cats and dogs, she would have taken them all in if the law had allowed. Jo loved to be out in the yard and working with her flowers, she always had beautiful flowers, inside and out, African violets seemed to be her favorite indoors, and she had a skill to keep them alive and blooming. Jo was a family loving lady, she was always organizing family get-togethers for immediate family and extended family. She had 12 other siblings in her family, and they were all very close and ready and willing to get together.

Jo was preceded in death by her parents, Mearle and Esther Christeson; her stepmother Verda; husband, Harold; four brothers, David, William “Bill”, George, Mearle John
“Cap”; seven sisters, Pearl, Ima Gene “Amy”, Mary, Delilah “Dee”, Cecelia “Nikki”, Katherine “Kay”, Orpha Belle; son, Bill and daughter-in-law, LouAnn.

She is survived by her daughter and two sons, Rae Newland, Carl Maley and Dean Maley and wife, Lisa, all of Garnett; fourteen grandchildren; twenty great-grandchildren; and five great great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM, Friday, June 5, 2020, at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel, Garnett, Kansas. Burial will follow in the Garnett Cemetery. Jo’s family will greet friends from 6:00-8:00 PM, Thursday evening at the funeral home. The use of a face mask is strongly encouraged and attendees are asked to observe social distancing recommendations. Memorial contributions may be made to Prairie Paws Animal Shelter and left in care of the funeral home. Condolences to the family may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com .