Jo Anne Sweeney

Jo Anne Sweeney, age 91, of Savanna, IL, passed away at FHN Hospital in Freeport, IL on Sunday, February 18, 2024. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, February 21 at Law Jones Funeral Home, in Savanna. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., before the service. Burial will follow at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, in Savanna.

Jo Anne, or Annie as her friends and family often called her, was born September 7, 1932 in De Soto Wisconsin, the daughter of George and Sadie (Munson) Massie. She attended school in Hanover, IL, graduating from Hanover High School with the class of 1950. On July 28, 1951, Annie married James “Jim” Sweeney. They lived together in Cedar Rapids, before moving to Mt. Carroll, where they resided for a time, in what is now Raven’s Grin Haunted House. Ultimately they moved to Savanna, when Jim began working for Interstate Power.

Jim and Annie would go on to have seven children, who surely kept Annie busy around the home. But, once her children grew a bit older, Annie began working as a nurse’s aide at the Savanna Hospital. She assisted with countless births over her 25 years there, and was always so proud to help bring life into this world.

Annie loved to socialize, but never wanted to be the center of attention. To her, the joy came from hearing about the lives of others, and supporting them with kind words of encouragement and attentive admiration. None were bigger beneficiaries of Annie’s kindness and loving demeanor than her family! She loved to host holidays and family gatherings, cooking their favorites, like spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, and goulash, and baking sweet treats. With seven children and dozens of grandchildren and eventually great grandchildren, she’d often have to bake more than a dozen pies to ensure everyone had their share.

In her twilight years, Annie moved to Pinnacle Place, in the old Savanna Hospital. She took comfort in the idea of living in the very place where she witnessed so much new life. With her cooking and hosting days behind her, Annie entertained herself with word seek puzzles and harlequin novels, and was always eager to receive pictures of her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Jo Anne is survived by six children, Darrel Sweeney, of Savanna, William (Diane) Sweeney, of Savanna, James Sweeney, Jr., of Clinton, Michael (Jodi) Sweeney, of Fulton, IL, Debra Salisbury, of Geneva, and Barbara (Jeff) Booth, of Griffin, GA; 16 grandchildren; and 18 great grandchildren. Jo Anne is preceded in death by her parents, George and Sadie; husband, James; son, John Sweeney; sister, Patricia Sweeney; and brother, Darrel “Pete” Massie.