Obituary
April 25, 1926 – January 12, 2022 Josephine (Jo) Miller Hughes, 95, of Winter Park, Florida died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on January 12, 2022. Jo was born to Joseph Henry Miller and Mamie Auxford Miller in Flat Creek Alabama on April 25, 1926. Growing up in Birmingham, she attended Phillips High School and was named Valedictorian of the Class of 1943. She was awarded a full scholarship to Birmingham-Southern College and graduated with a BA in 1947, with a double major of Spanish and History. She was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and was named to Who’s Who. She worked for Southern Natural Gas Company for four years in the Accounting Department, when she met the love of her life William Winston Hughes and married September 1, 1951. She and Winston lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama while he attended and graduated from the University of Alabama Law School and she worked for the University’s School of Commerce. In 1962, Jo became a Spanish teacher in Florida and taught for 29 years (with 25 of those years at Ocoee Junior High) until her retirement in 1991. While teaching, Jo graduated from Rollins College with a Masters of Arts in Teaching in Spanish and History. Jo was a longtime resident of Winter Park, having moved there in 1963. Jo loved the University of Alabama sports, especially football and at the age of 91, attended the 2018 National Championship in Atlanta, with the thrilling overtime victory of Alabama Crimson Tide over the Georgia Bulldogs. She loved dogs, having raised and rescued many dogs over her lifetime and was especially fond of Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds and Border Collies. Jo had travelled extensively throughout the United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Canadian Rockies, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Russia, Norway, Greece, Italy and seven weeks in Europe with her daughter Nancy. Her other interests included camping, visiting National Parks with Winston, gardening and landscaping (wining several Yard of the Month awards in Winter Park Pines), vacations at the beach but most of all being with her family and gathering for Bama football games in the fall. Jo was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Winston, her daughter Mary Winston (DeDe) Adams, her son-in-law, Dan Adams, grandson John Lewis Hughes, her great-granddaughter Emma June Schonk, her sister Mary Allen, her brother, John Kleber Miller, and her niece Laurie Miller. She is survived by her son Bill (Dana) Hughes of Fanning Springs, FL, daughter Nancy (Dave) Kaplan of Forest City, FL; son Miller (Vickie) Hughes of Melbourne, FL, seven grandchildren – Reece (Nick Jablonsky) Kaplan of Winter Garden, FL, James Schonk of St. Augustine, FL, Matt (Amanda) Schonk of Indianapolis, IN, Christina (Russ) Godwin of Kathleen, GA, Elizabeth (Francisco) Aguirre of Eatonton, GA, Mia Davis of Melbourne, FL, Tori (Steve) Davison of Orlando, FL: and nine great-grandchildren – Millie, Calvin, Henry, and Sully Schonk of Indianapolis, IN, Caleb, Bear, and Mary Clare Godwin of Kathleen, GA, Koral (Chris Curtis) Davis of Rockledge, FL, and Devin (Sabrina) Davis of Lakeland, FL; and one great-great grandchild – Keeley Curtis of Rockledge, FL Not to be forgotten, she is survived by her beloved dogs, Oreo and Daisy. In lieu of a service, a celebration of life will be held April 23, 2022.
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