Joanne M. Raiber

Joanne "Jo" Raiber made her final journey to be with her Lord and Savior January 9, 2021 in Owasso, OK at the age of 81. Jo is survived by her children Evelyn, Rhea, Tom, Scott, Michael, Stephen and Andrew along with their families that include numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Albert "Vic" Raiber, her parents Richard Allen Lewis and Arlene Melva Lewis, her sisters Billie and Anne, her bother Richard, her granddaughter Austyn, and great-granddaughter Kyleigh. Jo was born on September 26, 1939 in South Haven, Michigan. The daughter of an Episcopal priest, she moved in her young life to Oklahoma and Texas. She graduated from Breckenridge High School, Breckenridge, Texas in 1957. Upon graduation, she enlisted in the Women's Army Corps and was stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama where she met the love of her life, Vic. They were married on April 1, 1961 and started their lives together on Army bases in France. Returning to the states, they lived in California, Oklahoma and Alabama. Upon Vic's retirement from the Army in 1970 they moved to their long-time residence in Tulsa, Oklahoma to be close to family. Jo's first vocation was that of Army NCO wife and she loved doing that job. When Vic retired and decided to return to school to get his degree, Jo went into the workforce. She joined family working for the Nellybelle flower shop where she claimed she could copy any arrangement her sister Billie made. After this time, she went to work at Brawley Rents, starting as a bookkeeping clerk and quickly becoming the office manager. After this time, Jo returned as a homemaker and began her time in volunteer work. Along with Alice Ross, Jo worked as the church secretary at St. Peter's Episcopal Church for several years while also sponsoring the youth group. She enjoyed working at Broken Arrow Neighbor for Neighbor. She and Vic enjoyed working election polls for years where she always said she was doing what she could to make sure everyone's vote counts. After Vic's retirement, Jo enjoyed many new endeavors. She enjoyed traveling with Vic regularly to Branson and then to Hawaii, Bermuda and Alaska. They especially enjoyed their trip to Jamaica for their 50th wedding anniversary. Jo enjoyed her times with her great friends in her Red Hats group. Her time with friends at the monthly "Gabfest" (formerly Bunco) was among her favorites. She and Vic found a new church home at St. Patrick's Episcopal church and if she was not home, she could be found attending a class or volunteering there. Other than her faith and her family, Jo's greatest loves were her cats and her crafting. She could often be found stitching with a cat in her lap for hours. Her plastic canvas and cross-stitching creations are famous. Her most notable creations were cross-stitched Christmas stockings for every member of the family. It was widely known that you were an official member of the family when you received your stocking. Funeral Service will be 1:00 P.M., Saturday, January 16, 2021 at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, 4520 W. Houston St., Broken Arrow, OK. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233

Joanne M. Raiber

September 26, 1939 - January 9, 2021