Joleta (Jo) Haney Ek, 62, of Allen, TX passed away peacefully on February 10 after a long illness. She was born in Dill City, Oklahoma. She is survived by Gayne her husband of 41 years, her sister, Rhonda Ledbetter, her mother, Wanda Haney, three step-children, Gil Ek of Mckinney,Texas, Cindy Ek and Cheri Rizer of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, six grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and many cousins, aunts and uncles.
Jo received her Bachelor’s degree in Business from Coe College, Cedar Rapids,IA. After a successful business career at Rockwell International, ending as an assistant to a division president, Jo, who has always loved little children, involved herself in several children’s charities, including the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County, Child Abuse Prevention Center of Dallas, the Dallas Opera children’s program and Children’s Medical Center at Legacy in Plano.
Jo enjoyed cooking, quilting, entertaining, gardening and spending time with her grandbabies. She had a brilliant mind, gentle spirit and lived a life of service, volunteering for those organizations close to her heart. She had a heart of gold and was always a shining light to those around her. She was an avid reader, Russian history enthusiast and loved traveling to the places she had always read about as a young girl. Jo was a wonderful wife, daughter, step-mother, sister and friend and left an indelible mark upon those around her. She will be sorely missed but her spirit lives on within us forever.
A “Celebration of Life” service is planned on Saturday February 18, at 4 PM at Preston Meadow Lutheran Church, 6801 Coit Road, Plano, Tx 75024. In lieu of flowers, friends are requested to make a contribution to a child-related charity or to the Joleta Ek Memorial Fund at Preston Meadow Lutheran Church which will be distributed to such charities.