Joleen Kavanaugh

Joleen "Jo" Kay Kavanaugh (Pantier) passed away on 11/13/24 at home in the care of her children after a very recent cancer diagnosis.

She was born on July 31, 1942, in Olympia WA, the third of five children to James "Howard" and Mildred Pantier.

Both parents, big brother Jim, older sister Jan, and grandson Brian Kavanaugh predeceased her. She missed them all terribly but she loved Jesus so we take comfort in knowing they are reunited together in God's loving presence and she has hugged them all. Jo is survived by her sisters, Jacque Barnes (John) and Judy Evans (Tom), and many nieces and nephews who loved her.

Mom was a farm girl and tomboy. She would rather be outdoors than inside. Growing up she helped her dad with farm chores, later treasuring the memories with him of tending the cows and even butchering chickens.

Mom graduated in 1960 from Olympia High School after which she attended Centralia Community College briefly. She married at the age of 21 and raised a beautiful family. She is also survived by her four children, Amy Trahan, Wendy Jacobs (Bill), Eric Kavanaugh, and Tim Kavanaugh (Tammy), who she was very close to and extremely proud of.

"Gma" had very significant relationships with all her grandchildren: Dwayne Trahan (Lisa), Benjamin Trahan (Tina), Lucas Trahan (Haley), Samuel Trahan (Joseph), Jamie Kavanaugh (Jacob), Melissa Beck (Quinn), Kayla Jones (Doug), and Kole Kavanaugh (Kirsche).

"GG's" great-grandchildren were her special joy: Riley Kavanaugh, Addison Trahan, Harper Trahan, Jayce Beck, Emersyn Beck, and Grayson Jones. She lit up whenever she saw them.

Mom started her work experience at Sears Roebuck. She was a whiz with numbers and later held positions managing accounting, payroll, and HR for Marine Iron Works, Pedersen Fryer Farms, and Flex-a-Lite Consolidated. Her gift and love of numbers also carried over to card games. She loved blackjack and poker and had a weekly poker game with the same ladies for over 50 years. The "Lucky Ladies" card group was serious about cards but also about good friends, the kind of friends some people never experience.

Mom played softball most of her adult life and was a phenomenal left-handed pitcher. She was known for her wickedly high pitch she could drop on any corner of the plate. When she stopped playing on the field she continued with coaching. She had an amazing strategic mind and philosophy which made her an excellent leader and coach. She was very competitive and loved to win, especially when the opponent underestimated her team. The memories of playing, with and for, Mom and all the hilarious and unforgettable times are treasures we hold close. We are so grateful for the honor and opportunity to have experienced her knowledge and wisdom on and off the field.

Mom had lifelong friends from her time playing ball. She had great friends because she was a great friend. She remained connected to friends Patsy and Kathy from high school; they easily picked up right where they left off no matter how long they were apart. She loved them so much.

Mom and her BFF, Pat, were inseparable. She loved Pat like a sister and Pat loved her just the same. The grief of separating this 50+ year friendship is heartbreaking. We are inspired by the depth of their love and unconditional support for each other throughout their lives. We all should be so blessed. We all love you too, Aunt Pretty Pat.

We will cherish all the lake memories with Mom. She could whip up a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hashbrowns for 15 like it was nothing. She was frequently found on the roof of some trailer with a pressure washer, or doing yard work. She loved fishing on the lake or at the river. Those were perfect days for her. Just when you thought you might beat her at washer-toss she would sink the exact points she needed (and loved it). She was the queen of word games like Scrabble and Boggle and loved crosswords. She had a quick wit, loved telling stories, and the perfectly executed punchline of a joke. And we can't forget she loved her tequila.



Mom, Gma, GG, sister, aunt & friend - You will be forever missed. We will remember you in big and small ways, on holidays and simple days, we will bake cinnamon rolls and make pickles and talk about you and tell stories about you. Even though you are not right here, we will share our secrets and sadnesses with you, we will look for you in the beauty around us, we will make sure your great-grandchildren know you, and we will cherish and grieve you for the rest of our days on this earth. We look forward to seeing you again one day when you can tell us about all the mischief you've gotten into.

Mom's dog, Ollie, passed away just a couple months before her. She could not get over how much she missed him. When she found out about the cancer she said she now understood he had to go first.

Before her death, she had some things to say (imagine that) so here it is:

She wants to thank all of the people who have been a part of her life, such great friends, life-long friends. She is so grateful for all the memories. She said she has no regrets but one...that she will not see Grayson, Harper, Addi, Jayce, Emersyn, Riley (and any future babies to come) grow up. This made her incredibly sad but asked us to write it down. She also said, "For those of you that smoke, I can tell you from experience that you need to stop. You don't want to go through what I have".

During the brief time we had with her after her diagnosis, she was calm, contemplative, clear, and most of all worried about everyone else. That's who she was. If you knew her, you already know this and your life was better for knowing her and being loved by her.

At mom's request, there will be no formal service. The family will celebrate her privately at her happy place (the lake) and we will plan a softball reunion next year to gather, tell stories, and grieve the hole in our hearts.

Thank you for your support and prayers, we are so grateful.