1921
2015
Josephine (Hocevar-DoLance) Novak was born May 7, 1921 to Josephine Lipoglav and John Hocevar who were both immigrants from Slovenia. She passed away unexpectedly, yet peacefully, at home on March 29, 2015 which was five years to the day of the death of her second husband Frank Novak. Jo was predeceased by her first husband, Harry DoLance, her only son, Larry DoLance (1987) and her siblings, John Hocevar, Wilma Wilkerson and Leo Hocevar.
Jo graduated from Arma High School in 1939. From there she followed her older sister's footsteps and completed her Registered Nursing degree from Saint Joseph Hospital School of Nursing on May 31, 1942. She quickly attained her first job as the Chief Ground Nurse for TWA. She initially was going to apply to be a stewardess but went for the nursing position because it paid more. It turned out to be a smart decision because as she later found out, she was terrified of flying and would not have lasted long in the friendly skies.
Following the end of WWII, she married her first husband Harry DoLance in 1945. In the mid 50's they built a mid-century modern home from the ground up. It was a special home filled with many unique features and lots of love. Together they had two children, Larry and Vicki. However, when she became pregnant with Larry she had to leave her job at TWA. Her next job was with the Visiting Nurse Association where she worked for over 25 years.
After Harry died, she started a long-distance courtship with Frank, an old childhood classmate, who lived in Bremerton, Washington. She finally agreed to marry him on one condition: that they return to Kansas City upon his retirement. He agreed. She moved to Bremerton and started her third job with the Kitsap County Health Department. Jo and Frank had a pretty wonderful marriage for 33 years.
Jo was extremely proud of the fact that she only had three jobs in her lifetime and that she was hired on-the-spot at each initial interview. She had many long-lasting friendships from each. She also was thankful that she was lucky enough to be married to two wonderful men. She lived a long life, led by example, and will be sorely missed by those that loved her most.
Jo's service will be held Saturday, May 9, 2015 at Christ the King Church, 85th and Wornall, KCMO. The rosary will be said at 10:00 am followed by a visitation. Mass will be at 11:00 am followed by lunch in the church basement. She is survived by her daughter Vicki DoLance-Van Engen, three granddaughters: Jenna Yoder (Glen), Jozy Van Engen and Andra Van Engen, her great-grandson Brayden and her ever faithful grandpuppies Pookie, Lady and Maggie Sue and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Wayside Waifs, 3901 Martha Truman Road, Kansas City, Missouri, 64137 or a charity of your choice.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
May 3, 2015
Joyce& Skip Willrett
I am so sad to hear that Jo has passed away. She was a great neighbor for many years. She made the best quiche. We did a lot of trout fishing and had them smoked. Jo would make quiche with the trout. I really miss that quiche. R.I.P. Jo.
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