Jo Kaufman

1950 - 2025

Jo Kaufman
08/03/1950 - 09/08/2025
Jo Carol Kaufman died peacefully at her home in San Francisco on September 8, 2025, after a brief illness. She was 75.
Born in Sacramento on August 3, 1950, to Ginger Leibovitz (née Jonas) and Harlan Kaufman, Jo spent her early years in Los Angeles alongside her brother Michael and a lively circle of half-siblings. She graduated from UC Davis in 1972 with a degree in French and a lifelong love of art, language, and creativity.
After college, a restaurant job at the famed Nut Tree in Vacaville awakened Jo's gift for hospitality. She later managed UCLA's Kerckhoff Coffee House, where she met law student Kenn Guernsey. He did her taxes; she filled his life with beauty. They married in 1978 and soon moved to San Francisco.
There, Jo built a flourishing calligraphy and event-planning business known for its elegance, inventiveness, and exacting detail. When her children Jake (1987) and Jillian (1989) arrived, she sold the business and devoted herself fully to motherhood, infusing every celebration with her signature artistry and warmth.
After her divorce, Jo earned an MFA in Creative Writing, taught at the University of San Francisco, and studied poetry with Diane di Prima-a friendship that endured for decades.
Though unconventional, Jo and Kenn remained close, and the "Funny Little Family" was born: Jo, Jake, Jillian, Kenn, Lana (Kenn's second wife), and their daughters, Kate and Alex. It drew its share of puzzled looks over the years, but the arrangement proved effortless, natural, and full of love.
In later years, Jo found joy volunteering with the SF SPCA's Animal Assisted Therapy dog program alongside her beloved Cavaliers (first Kobe, then Oscar) and becoming "Grandma Jo" to Jake and his wife Maria's two children, Amália and Bo.
Throughout the many phases of her life, one thing remained constant: Jo's enthusiasm and generous spirit enriched everyone who knew her. There was never a birthday or anniversary forgotten, never a milestone unacknowledged, never a phone call unanswered. She never missed an opportunity to take joy in her loved ones' successes or bear witness to their hardships. And every occasion-happy or sad-was greeted with a warm hug and her trademark box of See's candy.
She is survived by her father, Harlan; her children, Jake and Jillian; her grandchildren, Amália and Bo; her dog, Oscar; and the rest of the Funny Little Family.
A memorial will be held November 14. For details, please email celebrate.jo.kaufman@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the SPCA.