Josephine Engesether

Josephine (Covlin) Engesether, age 95, of Bradenton, Florida, and formerly from Portland, Oregon, and McIntosh, Minnesota passed away on Friday, March 23rd at her daughter's home in Bradenton. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday (March 31st) at Trinity Free Lutheran Church of rural McIntosh with the Rev. Dale Mellgren officiating. Interment will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with a 8:00 p.m. prayer service on Friday (March 30th) at the Carlin-Hoialmen Funeral Home in Fosston. There will also be reviewal for one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the church. Arrangements are with the Carlin-Hoialmen Funeral Home, serving McIntosh. Sympathy messages may be sent at www.carlinhoialmen.com.Josephing Lily Covlin Engesether was born September 7, 1911 to Anton and Fanny Covlin. She was the youngest and last surviving member of the family of six children. "Jo" taught school most of her adult life and retired in 1977 at the age of 66. Jo started her teaching career with a two year degree from Duluth and earned her Bachelor's Degree in 1965 from Bemidji State University.Jo was a remarkable woman of many talents. She loved to travel, read, garden, write, swim, walk, draw and paint. She wrote her biography after retiring and her book The Tagalong and A Loner But Never Alone was published in 1989. The first book depicts settlement life in the North Dakota prairies in the early 20th Century. Jo also had some of her poems published and they can be found on the internet!In 1934 Jo married Samuel Engesether who passed away in October 2000. She is survived by four children, Ronald (Marty) Engesether of Portland, OR, Synneva (Richard) Sutton of St. Petersburg, FL, Bonnie Stone of Bradenton, FL and her youngest, Mary (Jim) Landes of Bemidji, MN. She leaves behind 11 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and 5 great great grandchildren. Jo was an excellent role model and inspiration to many. We will all miss her greatly.She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; and five siblings, George, Frank, Julia Ritoch, John, and Flora Gibson.