Marilyn “Jo” (Howard) Kammeyer
Marilyn “Jo” (Howard) Kammeyer, of Holden, Missouri, passed away on Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She was 93 years old.
Jo was born February 14, 1932, in Mokane, Missouri. She was the eldest daughter of Thomas William and Nellie Lucille (Erwin) Howard.
She graduated from Mokane High School in 1949.
After high school, Jo attended Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri, graduating with a degree in elementary education.
During her college years, Jo met her future husband, John Henry Kammeyer. They were united in marriage on June 4, 1954, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jo, a math teacher, and John, a music teacher and principal, taught in the Holden School District for decades. The majority of Jo’s 46-year career was spent teaching middle school math.
During their summers away from school, Jo and John spent time in their garden, and with their children and grandchildren.
Jo was also a gifted seamstress, sewing formal dresses for dances and the flower girl dress for her daughter Cindy’s wedding.
Jo was an active member of the Holden First Christian Church for many years, serving on the board and participating regularly with the Sew N Sews group. A talented pianist, Jo frequently played piano accompaniment for church services.
She was also a member of P.E.O., Chapter GS, for 61 years. She served as the chapter President from 1977-1979.
Jo is preceded in death by her parents, Thomas William and Nellie Lucille (Erwin) Howard; her husband, John Henry Kammeyer; her sister, Doris Ann (Howard) Hodge; and her brother-in-law, John Robert Thomas.
Jo is survived by her daughters, Deborah Jo Giddings (Richard) and Cynthia Ruth Strecker (Bradley). She is also survived by two grandchildren, Kathleen Ann Cosby (Ryan), and Alex Charles Giddings (Chelsea), and four great-grandchildren, Quinn, Olive, Brady, and Brantley. Also surviving are sister Shirley Lou Thomas, and brothers William Erwin Howard (Velma) and James Arlen Howard (Bonnie).
A Celebration of Life will take place at the Mokane Fellowship Church, 401 Fulton Avenue, Mokane, Missouri 65059, on June 21, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.
A visitation will be held at the church at 10:30 a.m.. Following the celebration, a meal will be served at the church.
Interment will take place following church services at Mokane Fellowship Church on Sunday, June 22. Immediate family only, please.
Jo will be reunited with her husband, John, in the family plot at the Mokane Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent in Jo’s name to benefit the following organizations that were important to her:
● Holden School District, 1612 S. Main Street, Holden, Missouri 64040
● Holden First Christian Church, 301 S. Main Street, Holden, Missouri 64040.
