Jo Ann Spencer

Jo Ann Whipple Spencer 86, died at Indiana University Hospital after a courageous battle starting with acute new congestive heart failure and then succumbing to a rare and virulent encephalitis on January 4th, 2011. She is survived by two of her three children, Thomas Spencer and Nancy Collins; her son-in- law Stephen Collins; and four grandchildren, Kari Spencer, George Spencer, Gracie Collins and Johnny Collins. She was preceded in death by her sister Nancy Huffman (1923-1987); her husband, William A Spencer (1921-2002) and her youngest child, Kevin Spencer (1959-2008). Jo Ann was born June 12, 1924 to Emily Lucile Storms Whipple and Lynn M Whipple in Benton Harbor Michigan. The family then moved to Valparaiso Indiana where shortly before he died, her father bought and merged two local newspapers The Daily Vidette and The Evening Messenger into the Porter County daily Vidette-Messenger. Her mother, "Dot" Whipple became the publisher of the paper for many decades and later Jo Ann and her sister Nancy were on the Board of Directors at the paper. Jo Ann graduated from Valparaiso High School in May 1941 and then attended Indiana University, joined Alpha Chi Omega Sorority in 1943,...[more]

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s initiated into Phi Beta Kappa Society in 1945, and ultimately earned a Bachelors degree in Chemistry in 1946. However, she wisely changed her career path when the Chemistry Lab blew up on campus and thus went to Columbia College in New York City earning a second Bachelors, this time in Library Service one year later in 1947. After college, Jo Ann moved to Chicago and while working in the library at the Illinois Institute of Technology, she met and then married William Arthur Spencer, her husband of over fifty years, May 26, 1951. They moved to New York's lower east side Stuyvesant Town in the 1950s where she had her three children and made sure they were immersed in the culturally and intellectually rich opportunities of the city. The family moved to Indianapolis in 1966 when William joined the administration that formed Indiana University -Purdue University of Indianapolis. Once the children were in school, Jo Ann returned to her career as a librarian where she worked at Eli Lilly and later at Boehringer Mannheim. She had an entrepreneurial spirit and was an early adopter of computers, learning punch cards and using main frame computers in the 70'searly 80's then started and ran her own computer based scientific librarian company out of her home, entitled "On Line Documents and Data." Jo Ann was a sophisticated world traveler and played amateur competitive tennis until osteoarthritis began to attack her joints in her late 70's, recovered from a mild stroke, and then survived breast cancer in 2002. She took it all in stride, turned to water aerobics, exercised and got on her exercise bike every day. Even when hip fracture forced her to a walker, she was a tremendous role model of perseverance and pushed forward with humor and stoicism. She was a voracious reader and so very smart, always curious, always learning. Her friends and family always felt so lucky to have her share her thoughts and ideas with them. She made and kept friends for a lifetime because of her encouraging, positive, and supportive nature. She was an active and dearly loved member of her church, Northminster Presbyterian, for fifty years. Her friends and family will miss her lilting voice, infectious giggling laugh, her incredible intellect, and her always wry sense of humor. She was on her Apple laptop computer and email virtually every day keeping in touch with family and friends. She could always be counted on to remember everyone's important dates of anniversaries, birthdays and other personal special occasions with calls, cards. letters and emails. She was forever the touchstone of her family and will be dearly missed. Friends and family will be gathering Saturday, January 8th at Northminster Presbyterian Church (1660 Kessler Blvd East Drive) from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM. Her memorial service will follow from 2:00-2:30 PM. Interment will be at 3 PM at Union Chapel Cemetery (8300 Haverstick Road). You are invited to make memorial contributions to: The Epilepsy Therapy Project PO Box 742, Middleburg, Va 20118 or on line at www.epilepsy.com; or The American Cancer Society 5635 West 96th street, suite 100, Indianapolis IN 46278. Arrangements are entrusted to Leppert Mortuary, Nora Chapel. Feel free to visit www.leppertmortuary.com where you can make a contribution or sign the guestbook.