Mary Voss

Mary Josephine Voss, a longtime resident of Lancaster, Ohio, died Monday, April 9, 2018 at Pickering House in Lancaster.

Mary Jo, or “Jo” as she was commonly known, was born on December 21, 1931 in Fond du Lac Wisconsin, the daughter of Helen and Allan Edgarton and sister of Dan and Rob Edgarton. Jo graduated from the University of Wisconsin and moved to Chicago where she met a young attorney, Jack Donald Voss, whom she soon married. In 1960, Jack Voss joined Anchor Hocking as General Counsel and the Voss family moved to Lancaster.

Described by friends as someone “with a bright flame in her heart,” Jo used her tremendous energy and talent to make the world a better and more interesting place. She loved the people of Lancaster and was very proud of her involvement with numerous organizations including West Elementary School, United Way, the Fairfield County Heritage Association, the Lancaster Festival and the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. She raised four children and countless pets, organized dozens of school picnics, home tours and charitable events. She was a fiercely competitive tennis player, a farm-to-table cook, an avid party thrower and goer, a lover of history, art and music, and an enthusiastic world traveler.

Jo and her husband, Jack, celebrated more than fifty years of marriage before his death in 2007. In her later years, she reconnected with longtime family friend William Hypes, with whom she shared many wonderful adventures.

Jo was preceded in death by her parents, Allan Lewis Edgarton and Helen Katherine Edgarton. She is survived by her children, Julia Ingram, Jenny Pearlman, Andy Voss and Charlie Voss; eight beloved grandchildren; her brothers, Dan and Rob Edgarton and their wives, and her partner, William Hypes.

A celebration of Jo’s life will be held from 4:00-5:30 p.m., Saturday, May 5, 2018 at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, 145 East Main Street in Lancaster.

Arrangements were handled by the FRANK E. SMITH FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY, 405 N. COLUMBUS ST., LANCASTER, OHIO 43130.

The family asks that no flowers be sent. Friends who wish to honor Jo’s memory are asked to consider contributions to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, 145 East Main Street, Lancaster, OH 43130 or Pickering House, the FairHoPe Hospice and Palliative Care Center, 282 Sells Rd, Lancaster, OH 43130.

Celebration of Life