Josephine "Jo" (Simpson) Mccandless

Josephine Ellen (Simpson) McCandless, 81, of Ottawa, IL, passed away Saturday, October 8, 2022, at her home surrounded by her family. Funeral Services will be at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, at the Ottawa Funeral Home, with Allan Treest officiating. Visitation will start at 4:00 until the time of the service at the Funeral Home on Wednesday. Josephine was born on April 22, 1941, in Villa Grove, Illinois, her parents were R. Lee and Grace (Bowen) Simpson. She married David McCandless on August 26, 1961, at First Presbyterian Church in Evanston, Illinois. She owned and operated Jo's Book Exchange in Ottawa and retired as the assistant manager of the Roxy Cinemas. She loved cooking, traveling, shopping, and going to the movies. Reading a good book and spending time with family always brought her joy. She is survived by her husband, David McCandless; her children, Susan (Mike) Bates, Brian (Natalie) McCandless, and Heather (Allan) Treest; her grandchildren, Craig (Jessica), Kyle Sokol, Alyson (Christian) Williams, Trevor (Anna Claire), Ian and Quinn McCandless, Zac (Andrea) and Michael Bates, Nicholas (Addy), Connor and Emma Treest; and her great-grandchildren, Raeken Treest, Rosalie and Louisa Bates; her brother-in-law, Peter (Nalan) McCandless; sister-in-law, Amy McCandless; nephews, Alastair and Colin McCandless and her cousin, Sally Stillwell. She was preceded in death by her parents; her granddaughter, Sara Jo Treest; her son, David S. McCandless; a sister-in-law, Edith McCandless; and a grandson, Justin Bates. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Starved Rock Community Foundation.