Jo Ann Pickett

Jo Ann Pickett is a very special lady in my life. After all, if it weren’t for her carrying me for nine months, I would not have a life at all. Yes, truly a mother is special to every son or daughter, but there are a great deal of things about her I love and admire beyond the expected devotion of a son. For one thing, I know that I have an acute sense of social grace, certainly compared to that of my father’s, because of my mother. Also, she has worked hard all of her life to make sure that my brothers and I were well seen to. She is a woman who has made many sacrifices in her life for other people, and she’ll always let you know about them. This is not to say that she makes these sacrifices for praise or recognition, rather she just wants people to understand the suffering she’s endured for them, so they’ll perhaps be a little more understanding of the situation. Her love of helping people is evident in her occupation, she is a registered nurse at Saint Anthony’s North hospital. She has been in this vocation, certainly all of my life and well before (since the early 1970's). Originally from, O’Fallon Illinois, she definitely has a very Midwestern mentality about things, which sometimes is a source of conflict between us.

She always wears her heart on her sleeve and exposes herself for people to see, often in spite of herself, she just can’t help it. She can sometimes be a little judgemental, or rather unable to hide her true opinions of people and things she doesn’t like. Even though she has this trait she always tries to be as accommodating and helpful to people as possible. She has a good sense of humor about herself and can certainly laugh at herself with other people, yet she remains rather sensitive about certain things and can dwell on things that upset her for a long time. In spite of this, she is always willing to let you know when she feels she is in the wrong, and acknowledges her wrongdoing with appropriate regret. A natural leader, it is often up to her to figure things out to do for a group, and in spite of complaint about such things, it is something she apparently very much enjoys. Because of her willingness to plan so much, it has made her a well-rounded person, willing to see museum exhibits, or go to the symphony one day, and then go to the mountains and camp, or see a ball game the next. She is always quite enthusiastic when she is out with people, and particularly at sporting events, people remember the game most not for what the players did, but for her excited cheering and hollering. Really a great lady, with several flaws, and numerous attributes, she is one person I am quite glad to have in my life, and those around her should be glad too.

Check out some pictures of her.