Josephine Neddo

MALTA – Our loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Josephine Randazzo Neddo, age 89, of Malta, Idaho, returned to her Heavenly home in the late evening of Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. She was living with her loving husband at the time of her passing in South Jordan, Utah.

Josephine was born in Reading, Pa., on June 15, 1924, to Charles Michael and Carolina DiMaria Randazzo. She was part of the first generation of her Italian family born in the United States. She lived with her parents and her older sister Cross, her younger sister Daisy, and her younger brothers Michael, Frank, and Daniel [listed in order of birth]. Her older sister helped in the family grocery store while Josephine cared for her siblings and responsibilities at home. She was also a good tennis player, rode horses, and sewed many of her own clothes.

Her parents emphasized getting an education. After attending Southern Junior High School and then graduating from Reading High School, Jo worked as a seamstress for Singer Sewing Machine Company for a few years, including teaching others about sewing, and then for a few years as a professional photographer for Kay Jewelers. During her working years she also attended two years of night school at Penn State College and took one year of accounting at Pennsylvania University. As a photographer, she met Roger Neddo (Sr.), a young new LDS missionary who was getting his picture taken. After the completion of Roger’s missionary service and shortly following Jo’s baptism, the two were married on Oct. 27, 1951, in Philadelphia, Pa. They were later sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. Shortly after her baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she taught a Sunday School class.

Leaving the city life in Pennsylvania and her family, Jo spent the next 60 years with the love of her life, Roger, and moved to the rural life in Malta, Idaho where they farmed and raised their family. Family always came first to Josephine. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren always knew how much she loved them. She also loved singing and had a beautiful soprano voice. She sang in the Malta Ward choir, and also in several community choirs. She developed a talent for painting and enrolled in painting and art classes at the college in Albion. She served as a stake speech director in the Declo Idaho Stake for many years and in the Malta 1st Ward Relief Society in various callings, including secretary. Besides caring for her home and family, Josephine occasionally helped on their farm until she injured her ankle in a car accident. The injury severely reduced her mobility and affected her for the remainder of her life. She applied her business and accounting skills in record keeping for their farming and family businesses. Jo was also very active in the community where she served for many years as a judge of elections.

Similar to the manner that her parents taught her, Jo also emphasized getting a good education, learning, and striving to do one’s best in anything undertaken. She read books to her children, often one sitting on each side of her, and helped them to learn to read in their preschool years. She encouraged and helped her sons achieve advancements in the Scouting program and helped others as a merit badge counselor for photography and citizenship. She helped her grandchildren with their homework and motivated them to do their best. She also loved substitute teaching at Malta Elementary and Raft River High School. With her outgoing and caring personality, she quickly bonded with children and students; and they respected her. She loved children and her students and in return they loved her.

Josephine is survived by her husband, Roger Neddo, (Sr).; her children, Roger (Jana) Neddo, Jr., Gina (Mart) Griffin, and Guy (Trudy) Neddo; her brothers Frank Randazzo of Shillington, Pa., and Daniel Randazzo of Reading, Pa.; her sister, Cross Dana, of Westchester, Pa.; ten grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother Michael Randazzo, her sister Daisy Polito, and her grandsons Charles and David Neddo.

The funeral will be held at 12 noon Saturday, March 8, at the Malta LDS Church with Bishop Richard Hall officiating. Interment will be in the Valley Vu Cemetery in Malta.

A viewing for family and friends will be held from 10:00 until 11:45 a.m. prior to the service.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley.