July 8, 1951 – June 30, 2023
COLUMBUS – Jo Ellen East (Bartley, Hawkins) Hammack, 71, of Columbus, passed away Friday, June 30, 2023 at Our Hospice in Columbus. Born on July 8, 1951, she was the daughter of Roe Creston East and Edith Kathleen Dalton. She married Kenneth L. “Kenny” Hammack and he survives.
As a teenager, Jo Ellen was baptized at the Leatherwood Christian Church. She attended Shawswick School for 12 years and was a graduate of Shawswick High School with the class of 1969. She was also a graduate of Oakland City University. She worked in the trucking industry for 35 years, serving in various roles.
Surviving to cherish the memory of Jo Ellen is her husband, Kenny; sons, Scott T. Bartley (Mandy), James W. Bartley and companion Jamie D. Grandstaff; her only grandson, Cole C. Bartley; her brother, Roe C. East (Sharon); her nephew, Andrew J. “Andy” East (Deidi); along with several cousins, close friends and their families.
Jo Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Roe Creston East and Edith Kathleen Dalton; husbands Thomas E. Bartley and John A. Hawkins; her maternal grandparents, William Daniel “Bill” Dalton Sr. and Nanna Lou “Peggy” Ritchison; and her paternal grandparents, William Marshall East Sr. and Trucye Ella Sexton.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at 1:00pm at the Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne- George Family Funeral Homes with Philip Thorne officiating. Burial will follow at the Mitchell City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10:00am until the time of the service at Ferguson-Lee. Contributions in memory of Jo Ellen East Hammack can be made to the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge.
Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.FergusonLee.com.
