Joanna Rae Haberbusch

Joanna Rae Haberbusch, 78 of Danbury Woods, Wooster, Ohio formerly of Burbank, Ohio passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 12, 2023, after three years of declining health due to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
Joanna or "Jo" as she told everyone to call her, was born August 27, 1944, to Leonore (Saunders) and Harold Chidsey. Her father was not present at her birth as he was overseas in the Army. Jo loved to share how she bit him the first time she met him because she thought her "dad" was a picture on the mantel, not a real person.
Jo was relatively healthy most of her life. She never had a broken bone or surgery but remembered like it was yesterday being quarantined in a ward for children for twelve days after contracting polio when she was eight. Jo graduated third in her class from North Royalton High School and then with her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Baldwin Wallace College. She married John Haberbusch on September 4, 1965, and they were married for 51 years before his passing in January of 2017. After staying home to raise her children for ten years, she returned to the working world as the secretary to the Superintendent of North Central (now Norwayne) Local Schools. She held numerous positions over the twenty plus years she worked at Norwayne including Bus Driver and Transportation Coordinator. At age 44, she began her master's degree in School Treasury at Ashland University. This was not an easy road as she still had children in college, but she eventually completed her degree in 1994 and secured a position as the Treasurer's Assistant at Green Local (Smithville) Schools. Eventually, she was promoted to the role of School Treasurer in 1998 where she never let one penny go unaccounted regardless of her loss of sleep in the process. She retired from Smithville in December of 2008. She spent her remaining years caring for those she loved, especially her grandchildren, and giving back to her community. She attended band concerts, plays, football games, track meets, baseball games, soccer matches, swim meets and graduations. She prepared afterschool snacks, hosted family gatherings, and imparted wisdom whenever she could, hoping to make a difference in the future of her family. "Do your best and don't worry", was something she always taught. She was active in the Church of The Cross United Methodist
Church where she sang in the choir, played handbells, and served for two years on the church board. She also served on the board of the Wayne County Kidney Foundation (as Treasurer) for over five years. She loved to ride her bike on Rails to Trails. In her down time, she was an avid sudoku puzzler in addition to completing jigsaw puzzles involving anyone who came to visit. In her younger years, she knitted and crocheted, and was an amazing seamstress. More recently, she focused her artistic side on painting ceramic figures at the Lots of Knots Ceramics which she also found therapeutic and often invited friends to join her.
Surviving are her son Mark (Diane) Haberbusch of Amherst, Ohio, daughter, Lisa Haberbusch (Gary Sidle) of Shreve, four grandchildren, Matthew (Spencer) and Karen Haberbusch and Culver and Anthony Sidle, brothers Ronald and Robert Chidsey, sister, Janet Doty, and special friend, Larry Ouwerkerk. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, John Haberbusch.
Jo's family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at Lifecare Hospice and Dandbury Woods of Wooster who did a wonderful job taking care of her. Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, January 17, at 11:00 AM at The Church of the Cross United Methodist Church at 5100 Cleveland Road, Wooster OH 44691. Rev James Lance will officiate. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Lodi. Visitation will be 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.on Monday, January 16th at the Murray Funeral Home in Creston, Ohio. Memorial contributions may be made to Church of The Cross United Methodist Church.
Jo's family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff at Lifecare Hospice and Dandbury Woods of Wooster who did a wonderful job taking care of her.
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