Jo Ann Chamberlain

1934 - 2022

Jo Ann Chamberlain
February 23, 1934 - May 10, 2022
Resident of Santa Clara
Jo Ann Chamberlain (née Donahue) passed away peacefully on May 10, 2022, from complications of lymphoma. Born in Brush, Colorado on February 23, 1934, to Edna Johanna (née Smith) and Dale James Donahue, her family relocated frequently throughout her childhood until finally settling in Healdsburg, California where she graduated from Healdsburg High School in 1952. Jo Ann graduated with a degree in secretarial sciences from San Jose State University and was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority. She attended Calvary United Methodist Church and it was there where she met Theodore James Chamberlain, her devoted and loving husband who predeceased her in 2016 after 57 years of marriage.
Jo Ann is survived by her sons, David James (Peggy) of Mission Viejo, Barry North (Kerry) of Pacific Palisades, and granddaughters Pamela Sue Smith (née Chamberlain), Deborah Ann, Olivia Ann, and Ava Elizabeth. Jo Ann is also survived by her brother Dennis James Donahue, her sister-in-law Judy Chamberlain (née Wyckoff), nieces Shannon Guzy (née Donahue) and Diane Backman (née Chamberlain), nephews Steven and James Chamberlain, along with many cousins whom she loved and was so proud to call family.
With her beloved Ted, Jo Ann lived in the same house in Santa Clara for 56 years and was an active member of the Campbell United Methodist Church for two decades. She made many selfless contributions to her church, the Santa Clara valley, and her local community, including helping organize a neighborhood watch program, being involved in her sons' local schools, teams and clubs, and serving as PTA President and board member at Buchser and Santa Clara High School.
Along with being a supportive mother and wife, Jo Ann also worked as a proud and dedicated secretary to executives at various companies in the Santa Clara valley, including the Sunnyvale Medical Clinic where she was the executive secretary to the CEO and an anchor for the organization from 1986-1996.
In retirement, Jo Ann and Ted continued their active and enriching lives with volunteer work, many social engagements including dinner, bridge and theater parties with family and friends they knew as far back as elementary school, and spending time with their beloved sons and their families in Southern California.
Jo Ann particularly loved traveling, with highlights including taking a trip to Europe with a sorority sister before marriage, exploring the French countryside with her husband and son, touring ancestral Scandinavia, visiting many of the presidential libraries and national landmarks throughout the United States, joining family members to watch baseball games at variety of major league stadiums, and taking a memorable 50th anniversary cruise with family in the Caribbean. Jo Ann and Ted also loved meeting up with members of the Vamanos RV club all across California.
While Jo Ann quietly dealt with a number of health issues including psoriatic arthritis, vasculitis, and a rare life threatening fungal pneumonia, she never complained. Her Danish constitution served her well and she always had a positive outlook on life with a glass that was well past half full. A dedicated letter writer since an early age, she relished in sharing family updates with her many friends and relatives. Her genuine warmth, positivity, and curiosity towards everyone she encountered will be greatly missed.
At Jo Ann's request, contributions in her name may be given to Heart of the Valley, Services for Seniors Inc., 1550 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050, an organization that was dear to both Ted and Jo Ann. A celebration of life will be held at Campbell United Methodist Church, 1675 Winchester Blvd. Campbell, CA on Saturday, June 18, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.


View the online memorial for Jo Ann Chamberlain