Ina Jo Grubbs

Mrs. Ina Jo Grubbs 1928 - 2008 Mrs. Ina Jo Grubbs wife of Dr. John Whitfield Grubbs, Former Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, passed away quietly in her sleep in her home here in Austin on early Sunday morning, November 23, 2008 at the age of 80. She had been in poor health for several years and cared for at home. She was born on March 5, 1928 in Anadarko, Caddo County, Oklahoma, the daughter of Leslie Herbert Gardner and Josie Evaline Williams. She came with her parents to Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California in 1941, where she completed her early education at Florence Nightingale Junior High School and Abraham Lincoln High School. After graduation, she first attended Pasadena City College and then completed a degree in accounting at Sawyer's Business College in Los Angeles, California. She and her husband John, son of Thomas Whitfield Grubbs and Mary Pfund, were married at Second Presbyterian Church, in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, on July 6, 1951. She not only raised three children but also worked most of her life to help her husband John complete his undergraduate and graduate education at U.C.L.A. and to fulfill her own business interests. In the early years, when Tom (1951) and Kim (1955) were born in Los Angeles, she worked for Shopping Bag and Signal Oil. When John Jr. (1961) was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where Mr. Grubbs was attending the University on a Fullbright Fellowship, Mrs. Grubbs worked for an American Insurance firm. After their return to the U.S., her husband, John, continued his studies at U.C.L.A., Mrs. Grubbs was employed by Department of Geophysics. In 1966, when her husband John accepted a position at U.T. Austin, she worked first for the Texas State Legislature and then with Mary and Bob Blitch at their Austin store Shop in Denmark, later known as Scandinavia. From 1985 to 1990, Jo and her sister, Faye Allen, along with Mina Person had their own Scandinavian furniture store, Bellscan, in Bellevue, Washington. In 1990 she returned to Austin to take care of her husband, John's aging mother. A cerebral aneurysm in 1995, which left her with aphasia, slowed her down but could never diminish her courage and loving spirit. During her early Austin years, Mrs. Grubbs was active in the University of Texas at Austin Newcomers Club, the University of Texas Women's Club, and the First Presbyterian Church, which she first joined in 1966. She was known by many for her culinary skills and the sparkle of the occasions she hosted. A beloved mother, wife, and tireless worker who was always there for those who needed her, she will be sorely missed by her family, relatives, and many friends. Mrs. Grubbs is survived by husband, John, of 57 years; two sons, Thomas Robert Grubbs of Issaquah, Washington and John Whitfield Grubbs Jr., of Austin, Texas; and daughter, Kimberly Ann Bradley of Austin, Texas; four grandchildren, Katherine Loy Powell of Austin, Texas, Jo Ellyn Bradley, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, John Robert Bradley, of Austin, Texas and Emory Jackson Grubbs of Austin, Texas; a sister, Mrs. Edna Faye (Gardner) Allen of Mercer Island, Washington; and many beloved nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents, and four brothers, Thomas Reed Gardner, Lyle Hughes Gardner, Bayne McClellan Gardner, and Clarence Griffin Gardner. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive at 2:00 p.m., Monday afternoon, December 1, 2008. The service will be conducted by Natoma Nash Noble, Chaplain, Hospice Minister, Jackson, Mississippi, and Rev. Sam Ricobene, Associate Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas. In lieu of flowers, it is suggested friends consider a donation to the Allen Institute for Brian Science, which may be reached by e-mail at giving@alleninstitute.org The family would like to express their gratitude to the Allen family for their many kindnesses, Barbara J. Bridges, Geriatric Services, and to Mrs. Grubbs's three caregivers, Rene Guidry, Mary Luna, Martha Bailey.