Jo Anne St. Clair

Jo Anne St. Clair, 73, concluded her life journey on October 30, 2022 at Sentara Medical Center. She went peacefully after a week of goodbyes from family and friends.

 Jo Anne leaves behind her son, Jonathan Roberts and wife Misty; her brother Thomas St. Clair, Sr. (wife, Mary); sister Bettie Perkins (husband, William); sister Lynne Garner (husband, Alan); grandchildren Killian Donnelly, Zoe Roberts, and Jameson Roberts; and many dear friends. 

Jo Anne was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia with her two sisters and an older brother where they helped their parents run the family grocery store. Jo Anne completed a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Longwood University and a Master’s in Social Work at the University of South Carolina - Columbia. She worked for more than 30 years as a social worker and lobbyist, first in South Carolina for the South Carolina Association of Social Workers and then in Columbus, Ohio as the Director of the National Society for Social Work. She spent most of her working life as a social activist, championing causes such as closing the legal loop on domestic violence, death with dignity laws, fair housing issues, and most recently climate action issues. 

When Jo Anne retired, she moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia to be closer to her son Jon and his family. Before long, she became an active member of Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists, taking on the role of Board member, Board Moderator, member of the Social Justice Committee, and organizer of the HUU Auction. She ran an antiques booth in nearby Broadway and took friends on tours of antiques in the Valley. At the same time, she became a leader in the local Democratic Party, the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley (CAAV), continuing her lifelong role as an activist. She developed deep connections as well, attended music festivals, concerts, and dinners with the Divas. Her friends did their best to make sure she was cared for during her final months.

Jo Anne made lifelong friends wherever she lived, friends who loved and respected her and enjoyed her sense of humor and dedication to causes. In a 2021 Story Corps recording, she said that she wanted to be remembered as “someone who cared for people and made a difference in the world.” She said her mother told her to leave the world a better place than you found it. For all who knew and loved Jo Anne, we can agree that she certainly did that and more.

There will be a private burial.  A Memorial Service  to celebrate Jo Anne’s life will be held at Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists at 4101 Rawley Pike, Rockingham, VA on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 2:00 PM. The service will also be available on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81056151896