Obituary of Jo Anne O'Neil

Services for Jo Anne O’Neil (Goebel), age 88, of Frankfort, will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 23, 2016 at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 72 Shepherd Way, Frankfort, KY . Rev. Charles Howell will officiate. Burial will follow in the Frankfort Cemetery. Mrs. O’Neil died Sunday, September 18, 2016. Born on May 21 , 1928, and a native of Toledo, Ohio, Mrs. O’Neil graduated from Central Catholic High School and attended Bowling Green State University. She lived in Elyria, Ohio for many years before moving to Frankfort in 1975. Jo was a homemaker, starting her work career after her children were raised. She was employed by Carriage House Gifts, the Kentucky Youth Research Center, and was co-owner of Corner Liquor Store in Lexington before she finally retired at age 82 from the Kentucky Department of Aging Services. She was a member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, where she had served as past president of the Ladies Auxiliary and was involved in various other church ministries. Survivors include her sons, Daniel O’Neil, of Macedonia, Ohio, Kevin O’Neil of Frankfort, Patrick O’Neil (Alicia) of Frankfort; her daughter, Maureen O’Neil Bryant (Barry) of Lawrenceburg; a sister and brother-in-law, Jane Goebel Ritter and George Ritter of Toledo, Ohio; grandchildren, Laura O’Neil Brian O’Neil, Alicia Angus, Justin O’Neil (Lynley), Keegan O’Neil, Chris O’Neil (Amber), Jana O’Neil- Ard (Jon), Will O’Neil, Dezaree O’Neil-Ervin (Ryan), Xavier Miller O’Neil, Katelyn Mitchell, Kyle Mitchell, and Garrett Bryant; along with 7 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her special nieces and nephew, Sue Ritter Fishbach, Margi Ritter, and Bill Ritter. Jo was the daughter of the late Philip Goebel and Margaret Finn Goebel Dusseau. She was preceded in death by her husband of 35 years, Bill (William E.) O’Neil, in 1984; her brother, John Goebel; her son, Timothy O’Neil; granddaughters, Tiffany O’Neil and Shannon O’Neil; daughter–in-law, Joanne O’Neil; and step-father, Ligouri Dusseau. Special Acknowledgement to the wonderful and caring staff of Morning Pointe / Frankfort; to Dr. Gregory Jicha, Robin Hamon and the Staff of Sanders Brown Center for Aging; to Dr. Jason Freeburn of MD2U; to the staff of Hospice of the Bluegrass; to the staff of Rogers Funeral Home; and to the Good Shepherd Church Bereavement Committee. Also a very special thanks to those loving friends who visited Jo on a regular basis while she was care bound: David Yagel, Mary Ortwein, Mahala Hilton, Pirkko Gantley, Jackie Lynch, and Peggy Dunagan. Her Grandsons will serve as Pallbearers. The family kindly requests no flowers. Contributions in Jo’s memory may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, P.O. Box 571,Frankfort, KY 40602; to the Sanders Brown Center for Aging, 1030 S. Broadway, #5, Lexington, KY 40504; or to Hospice of the Bluegrass, 663 Teton Trail, Frankfort, KY 40601. As her illness progressed, Jo decided herself to donate her brain to the Sanders Brown Center for Aging, to assist them as they continue their work in hopes of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, the disease that drastically altered the last years of her life. Visitation will be held Thursday, September 22, 2016 from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Rogers Funeral Home, 507 W. Second Street, Frankfort, KY.