Josephine "Jo" M. Pontine

April 22, 1923 - December 1, 2021

Former Clay Center, Ne., resident, Josephine “Jo” M. Pontine, 98, passed away Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at the Harvard Rest Haven in Harvard, NE. Graveside services will be conducted at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, December 4, 2021, at the Clay Center Cemetery in Clay Center, NE., with Pastor Ethan Feistner officiating. In honoring Josephine’s wishes, there will not be a visitation or viewing. Memorial contributions may be directed to Boys Town. Josephine Muriel (Hickey) Pontine was born April 22, 1923, in Albion, New York. In 1928, at the young age of five, she traveled with her twin brother via the Orphan Train to Bradshaw, NE., where she was adopted by her parents, Edward and Josephine Hickey. One of her fondest memories was when her parents took the twins for their first taste of ice cream. They spent many summer vacations fishing in Minnesota, visiting relatives along the way. She and her brother felt very blessed to have been adopted by such loving parents. The twins graduated from Bradshaw High School and attended York Junior College for one year. When her brother was drafted into the US Army Jo wanted to do her part for the war effort, so she quit school and went to work as a secretary at the Harvard Air Base in Harvard, NE. Two years later she began working for the Clerk of the District Court’s Office in Clay Center, NE., as a typist. On June 4, 1950, she married Lloyd Pontine. During their marriage Jo worked side by side with Lloyd in the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. She served as secretary, dispatcher, and cook for the jail. One of the highlights of their marriage was when Lloyd was elected President of the Nebraska Sheriff’s and Peace Officers Association. They enjoyed the Sheriff’s conventions and always held a deep respect and love for the law enforcement community. During their 44 years of marriage Jo and Lloyd were blessed with four daughters: Carol, Cheryl, Barbara, and Nancy. Mom always said raising four girls while Dad was sheriff was not easy, but she loved her girls dearly and together they taught us the difference between right and wrong, encouraged us to stand up for what we believed in, and challenged us to make them proud. Jo’s hobbies included growing flowers in her garden, watching the birds from her picture window, working jigsaw puzzles, and cheering for the Huskers. Jo is survived by her daughters, Carol Sawicki of Hastings, NE; Cheryl and David McFarland of Scottsdale, AZ; Barbara and Gary Gilpin of Papillion, NE; and Nancy and Kyle Kinyoun of Clay Center, NE; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd Pontine; parents, Edward and Josephine Hickey; stepmother, Rosina Hickey; twin brother and sister-in-law, Joseph James and Dorothy Hickey.