N.
N. Josephine Kinsman
d. April 17, 2023
Today April 17th, 2023, we lost a special lady, Josephine Kinsman “Jo” at the age of 94 in Salt Lake City, UT. Jo was born January 3rd, 1929, in Lamar, Arkansas to James T. and Stella Catt Davis.
At an early age she moved to Oran, Missouri with her parents and 8 siblings. Growing up in Oran came with working on the farm and harvesting cotton corps, earning 10 cents for every 100 lb. sack.
Jo would take her wages and while in town would visit the Five & Dine. Her most treasured purchase was a small elephant figurine and a Mr. Goodbar for 10 cents. She was 8 years old at the time and held onto that elephant forever. For years she accumulated a herd of over 200, but that first elephant was always her favorite.
At 18 Jo decided to take a train to Los Angeles, giving up the farm life. Her first job was at a local diner, then she landed a position as a switchboard operator. During this time, she met and married her husband Earl Kinsman “Mike” on February 26 , 1951. Eventually they moved to Salt Lake City Utah.
Once in Salt Lake, Jo pursued her career in the banking industry, the Teamsters Union, Wells Distributing, Granato Food Service, Macys Jewelry, and 19 years as a seasonal employee for the Utah State Tax Commission. She made lifelong friendships, that she valued every day.
She has four children: Greg Kinsman, Cheryl Garrett (Randy), Charlene Rogers, and Gene Kinsman. Their family grew to include 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Jo & Mike made time for family vacations, camping, fishing, and a trip to Arkansas. Jo loved to fish and was good at it. Once her kids were grown, she then obtained her Passport and off she went. Having family across the country, she was able to see places she never thought to travel to which included Banff Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, and throughout the USA.
During her travels she loved the beaches. She would collect seashells and her favorite, the Sand Dollar. She loved to sit on that comfy chair and take pictures of her feet with the ocean waves & sunsets in the background.
Her interests and hobbies included her quilts and prize winning Swedish weaved Afghans. She loved to garden, bake her famous cakes, gamble, attend car shows, and shop for the best bargains.
Jo had a wonderful and exciting life and left us with the best memories. She was a spit fire, a quick wit, and a spunky spirit, but most of all she was a great wife, mom, grandma, and friend. We will miss her always and forever.
She is survived by her children, grandchildren Neal (Alisia), Derrick, Stuart, Matthew (Alicia), Sheena (Adam), and 10 great-grandchildren, sister Eda Dewitt (Huntsville Texas), and her cute puppy Jake. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Earl “Mike” Kinsman, 7 siblings, great-grandson Little Neal and many others.
Funeral services will be Graveside only and will be held Wednesday, May 3rd, at 11:00 pm, at Memorial Redwood Cemetery located at 6500 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Utah. Please join us to celebrate Josephine “Jo” and share your memories. In lieu of flowers you may donate to the Alzheimer’s Foundation. We would like to express our sincere thank you to Sara, Mary and others at First Choice Hospice for the care, compassion, and support during this difficult time.Service Information
Graveside Service
May 3, 2023 at 11:00am
Memorial Redwood Mortuary
At an early age she moved to Oran, Missouri with her parents and 8 siblings. Growing up in Oran came with working on the farm and harvesting cotton corps, earning 10 cents for every 100 lb. sack.
Jo would take her wages and while in town would visit the Five & Dine. Her most treasured purchase was a small elephant figurine and a Mr. Goodbar for 10 cents. She was 8 years old at the time and held onto that elephant forever. For years she accumulated a herd of over 200, but that first elephant was always her favorite.
At 18 Jo decided to take a train to Los Angeles, giving up the farm life. Her first job was at a local diner, then she landed a position as a switchboard operator. During this time, she met and married her husband Earl Kinsman “Mike” on February 26 , 1951. Eventually they moved to Salt Lake City Utah.
Once in Salt Lake, Jo pursued her career in the banking industry, the Teamsters Union, Wells Distributing, Granato Food Service, Macys Jewelry, and 19 years as a seasonal employee for the Utah State Tax Commission. She made lifelong friendships, that she valued every day.
She has four children: Greg Kinsman, Cheryl Garrett (Randy), Charlene Rogers, and Gene Kinsman. Their family grew to include 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Jo & Mike made time for family vacations, camping, fishing, and a trip to Arkansas. Jo loved to fish and was good at it. Once her kids were grown, she then obtained her Passport and off she went. Having family across the country, she was able to see places she never thought to travel to which included Banff Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, and throughout the USA.
During her travels she loved the beaches. She would collect seashells and her favorite, the Sand Dollar. She loved to sit on that comfy chair and take pictures of her feet with the ocean waves & sunsets in the background.
Her interests and hobbies included her quilts and prize winning Swedish weaved Afghans. She loved to garden, bake her famous cakes, gamble, attend car shows, and shop for the best bargains.
Jo had a wonderful and exciting life and left us with the best memories. She was a spit fire, a quick wit, and a spunky spirit, but most of all she was a great wife, mom, grandma, and friend. We will miss her always and forever.
She is survived by her children, grandchildren Neal (Alisia), Derrick, Stuart, Matthew (Alicia), Sheena (Adam), and 10 great-grandchildren, sister Eda Dewitt (Huntsville Texas), and her cute puppy Jake. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Earl “Mike” Kinsman, 7 siblings, great-grandson Little Neal and many others.
Funeral services will be Graveside only and will be held Wednesday, May 3rd, at 11:00 pm, at Memorial Redwood Cemetery located at 6500 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Utah. Please join us to celebrate Josephine “Jo” and share your memories. In lieu of flowers you may donate to the Alzheimer’s Foundation. We would like to express our sincere thank you to Sara, Mary and others at First Choice Hospice for the care, compassion, and support during this difficult time.Service Information
Graveside Service
May 3, 2023 at 11:00am
Memorial Redwood Mortuary
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