Josephine “Jo” Marie (Goodnough) Yakich, 95 years young, residing in Westminster, Colorado, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at her home, Keystone Place at Legacy Ridge.
Jo was born in Bennington, Kansas, to Edward and Frances Goodnough on October 6, 1927. She attended high school in Hays, Kansas, graduated in 1945 with a music scholarship to Fort Hays Kansas State University. She went on to earn a college degree, majoring in music, from Fort Hays State University. This was a remarkable accomplishment for a young woman in 1949. That was not enough for Jo as shortly thereafter, she moved to the big city of Denver, Colorado where she began work as a receptionist at the University of Denver. During her early years in Denver, she was the First Oboist in the Denver Community Symphony (later the Denver Philharmonic), conducted by Dr. Antonio Brico, the first woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic.
Though music was her passion, Jo was also an exercise enthusiast (until she was 93!); and she enjoyed tennis, bicycling, volleyball, and softball. She met Eli Yakich Jr. at the boarding house where they both lived, and they married on Christmas Eve in 1950. They settled in Aurora, Colorado and Jo became an organist at St. Therese Church. For the next 40+ years, she accompanied Sunday mass (and the choir), as well as funerals and weddings for parishioners. During those years, Jo taught piano out of her home and was a substitute teacher while raising her four children. She continued to teach and give piano lessons for the next 15 years. After she let the school system Jo worked fulltime at a bank for a couple of years before joining the Aurora Municipal Court as a court reporter. Jo would work for the Court for 13 years before retiring.
Jo and Eli retired to Salida, Colorado, and Jo became an organist and choir member of St. Joseph Catholic Church there. All who had the privilege of knowing Jo would use the same three words to describe her – sweet, genuine and kind. Jo affected many lives in her 95 years, but none more so than her loving family who will miss her always and love her forever.
Jo was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Eli Yakich Jr.; her sister, Frances Rankin; her brother William McKinley; and her sister Eldora Verberg. Jo is survived by her children (Debra Yakich Montgomery of Parker, CO; David Yakich and wife Carrie of Arvada, Colorado; Diane Yakich Simondi and her husband Rudy of Golden Valley, MN; and Danell Yakich of St. Louis Park, MN); her two granddaughters (Sarah Yakich of Westminster, CO and Ali Yakich of Denver, CO); her niece, Lynn Kelly of Santa Fe, NM; and her nephew, Dennis McKinley of Buena Vista CO.
Services were Nov. 15 and in the care of the Archdiocese of Denver Catholica Funeral & Cemetery Services.