Josephine Harriet Ponyicsanyi passed away Saturday, March 14, 2009, at the Monroe Clinic Hospital in Monroe, WI, surrounded by her loving family.
Jo was born to Joseph and Ruth (Gallitz) Wilcox on March 1, 1914, in Fort Atkinson, WI. She graduated from Fort Atkinson High School and attended Whitewater College. On November 9, 1935, she and John Ponyicsanyi were united in marriage, and happily shared 65 years together, living in northern WI, and Brooklyn, WI, prior to moving to Monticello, WI, in 1945. Jo was a resident at St. Clare Friedensheim Assisted Living the past five years.
A supportive wife, Jo was a fan of the Monticello Ponies basketball team, named after her husband when he was coaching. Together they received the Pony Spirit Award in 1992. They also served as Grand Marshals in the Monticello Homecoming Parade in 1999. The Apple Blossom Award was presented to Jo in 1999 in appreciation for planting the seed that grew into a new library for Monticello.
A past member of the Monticello Chapter 217 Order of the Eastern Star, Jo served as Worthy Matron in 1953. She also was a member of the Zwingli United Church of Christ in Monticello.
Jo enjoyed cooking, reading, solving crossword puzzles, and appreciated a well-turned phrase. She also enjoyed golfing, and was the first in the family to achieve a hole-in-one at the Edelweiss Chalet Country Club where she was a charter member.
Surviving are her son, John "Jack" (Helen) Ponyicsanyi, Orfordville, WI, and her daughter, Carol (Jim) Miller, Whitewater, WI; grandchildren, Janeen (Dan Podzilni) Ponyicsanyi, Seattle, WA and John (Jee Yoon Lee) Ponyicsanyi, Arlington, VA; three great-grandchildren, Henry and Charles Ponyicsanyi, and Julian Podzilni. Jo is also survived by a sister, Dorothy Pfafflin, Glendale, AZ, and a cousin, Dr. Richard B. Gray, Tallahassee, FL, nieces, nephews and other relatives.
Jo was predeceased by her husband John in 2001, her brother John Henry "Bud" Wilcox in 2007, and several brothers and sisters-in-law.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Friedensheim and the staff at the Monroe Clinic Hospital for their kind assistance and care.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, at the Zwingli United Church of Christ, 416 E. Lake Ave., Monticello, WI, with burial at Highland Cemetery. Friends may call from 10 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Zwingli U.C.C. of Monticello or the Monticello Public Library. The Voegeli-Newcomer Funeral Home, Monticello, is assisting the family.
www.newcomerfuneralhome.net