Our beloved mother and grandmother, Nancy Jo Howarth, passed away on February 12, 2023, at the age of 83 in North Port, Florida. Nancy Jo was a 30 year resident of Noxon. She was born in Beecher, Wisconsin, in a farmhouse, on February 14, 1939 to John and Irene Schaffer.

Nancy Jo grew up on the family dairy farm in Amberg, Wisconsin. She graduated from Amberg High School as Valedictorian of her high school class on May 24, 1957. Eight days later on June 1, 1957 she married Charles Howarth I. Chuck and Nancy Jo had 5 children. Charles II (Brenda) of Calhan, Colorado. William (Skye) of Cripple Creek, Colorado. Steven (Connie) of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Brian (Kathy) of Plains, Montana. Laureen (Jeff) of North Port, Florida. She also had 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.

Nancy Jo lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with her family for 20 years. She owned an award shop where she was an amazing monogrammer. She and her husband, along with their daughter, moved to Noxon in 1987. She, and her husband, owned and ran the Landmark Restaurant in Noxon from 1987 until 1992. In 1995, Nancy Jo started working for the Western Montana Area VI Agency on Aging as the Ombudsman for all of Sanders County. She later retired from there in 2017, at the age of 78, after 22 years of doing a job that she absolutely loved! She was voted The Senior of the Year in 2018 in Noxon. She loved her community and she helped everyone that she could. In 2017 she moved to Florida to be closer to family.

In her free time, Nancy Jo loved gardening, crafting, sewing, and quilting. She loved traveling and sightseeing. She loved spending time with her family. She always had so much kindness and love for every family member. She never missed an opportunity to tell her family how much she loved them. She was an amazing and strong willed woman. She was a member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Thompson Falls.

Nancy Jo was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her son Brian, and her grandson Michael. Her funeral service will be on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 1 p.m. at the Noxon Cemetery with a Celebration of Life to follow afterwards at the Noxon Senior Center. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to go toward her funeral expenses. Donations can be sent to Sunset Hills Funeral Home in Plains, Montana.