Sister Jo Ann Senko, OSB, age 87, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery, died at Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab on November 02, 2022. Sister Jo Ann was born on February 21, 1935, in Slovactown, Arkansas, to John Senko, Jr. and Frances Dorothy Garrich Senko. She graduated from St. Scholastica Academy in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1952. Sister Jo Ann was a wonderful big sister to her brothers Frederick, Gary, and Michael and to her sister Shirley who were several years younger than Sister Jo Ann.
Before entering St. Scholastica Monastery, she worked at the Daily Leader Newspaper in Stuttgart. She was an excellent typist and possessed an engaging and outgoing nature with people. Sister Jo Ann entered the monastery on October 7, 1956, and became a novice on June 24, 1957, where she took the name, Sister Mary Chrysostom. On June 24, 1959, she made her first profession, and in 1962 she made her perpetual profession as a member of St. Scholastica Monastery.
Her first ministry assignment was to teach at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Paris, Arkansas. She was a good teacher, and her students did well under her guidance; however, she quickly surmised that teaching was not meant to be her profession. Sister worked as a cook at St. Joseph’s Orphanage in North Little Rock and Subiaco Abbey. Sister Jo Ann loved to cook and loved to help people. Over time, she became a clinical dietitian. She earned a bachelor of science degree in Home Economics from the University of Missouri. In the 1970’s she began her Dietetic Internship with Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and continued her studies until she graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1972. Sister Jo Ann was a clinical dietitian at St. Mary’s Hospital, Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Edward’s (Mercy) in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1977 Sister Jo Ann was asked to be the monastery Procurator for the community. She did this for two years. From 1979 to 1981, Sister Jo Ann worked in Social Work in Amarillo, Texas. She returned to work in St. Louis at St. Mary’s as a clinical dietitian from 1981 to1996. From 1996 to 1997, Sister Jo Ann took a sabbatical, attending classes at St. John’s University in Minnesota. Following her sabbatical, Sister Jo Ann was the director of food hospitality for St. Scholastica Retreat Center. She served her sisters and many people in this role for four years.
Because of declining health, Sister Jo Ann moved to the monastery infirmary in 2001 and Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab in 2017.
Sister Jo Ann was an enthusiastic, outgoing person. She took great pleasure in preparing healthy and tasty meals for people to enjoy. She possessed a love of humor and the arts. Sister Jo Ann loved the symphony and the Opera. She enjoyed poetry and writing haikus. She was well-read. She played the accordion and loved community events. She was proud of her Slovak heritage and family history. Her hometown in Stuttgart, the Rice Capital of the World, was dear to her. Growing up on her father’s farm somewhere along the line, she developed a love of cute pig figures and amassed a great collection of these throughout her life.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Gary Senko, and her sister-in-law, Linda Senko. She is survived by her brothers, Frederick, and Sister-in-law, Marilyn, in Henderson, Nevada. Her brother Michael in North Little Rock, Arkansas; her sister, Shirley Senko, from Memphis, Tennessee and her nephews, Mark, Paul, and Fred Senko; her nieces, Pamela Senko Spencer, Paula Senko Woloeiec, Patricia Senko Stallard, Angela Senko Hynum, and Lydia Senko; beloved great nephews and nieces; and the members of her Benedictine community.
A Vespers Service will be on November 27, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. The funeral Mass will be on November 28, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., with Rev. Jerome Kodell, OSB, and Rev. Joseph Chan presiding. Both services will be at St. Scholastica Monastery. Burial will follow in St. Scholastica’s cemetery.
Memorials may be made to St. Scholastica Monastery Continuing Care Fund, P.O. Box 3489, Fort Smith, AR 72913.
