Obituary for Virginia Ann "Jo" Hart (Alsworth)
Virginia “Jo” A. Hart of Nashua, NH, passed away unexpectedly at Southern NH Medical Center, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, at the age of 84, surrounded by her family. Jo was born March 17, 1935 in Buffalo, NY, daughter of Harold E. Alsworth and Rebecca M. (Gronquist) Alsworth. She grew up in Williamsville, NY and Tuscon, AZ, and graduated from high school in Williamsville, NY. She earned a B.A. in English Literature at Alfred University in 1957 and a Master’s Degree in Education from Buffalo State University in 1959.
She met her husband, Bernard “Barney” J. Hart, at Alfred, and they were married in 1959. They then moved to El Paso, TX, where Barney served in the Army and Jo taught elementary school. She also taught in the Lewiston-Porter School District in Western NY. After living in Clarksburg, VA, Lancaster, NY, Endwell, NY, and Williamsport, PA, the family moved to Nashua in 1974. Jo joined Pilgrim Congregational Church and served as the librarian of the church’s Goodhue Memorial Library for decades, allowing her to indulge her love of books. Jo was a long time, much sought-after substitute teacher in Litchfield, Hudson, and Nashua, often covering maternity leaves.
She is survived by her husband and three children, John Hart and his wife Tracy Hart of Nashua, Rebecca Hart of Nashua, and Jennifer Hart and her husband Carlos Sanchez of Maplewood, NJ. She is also survived by four beloved grandchildren, Sunshine Sanchez, Carlos Sanchez, Isabella Sanchez, and Rowan Hart, as well as many cherished nieces and nephews.
The daughter of a newspaperman, Jo read two newspapers every day and was an avid follower of politics and MSNBC. That she died on Super Tuesday is somehow appropriate. She also loved late-night TV, which resulted in her often knowing more about popular culture than her adult children did. An early love of horses led to a passion for horse racing that she shared with her son, and her prowess as a second baseman fueled her lifelong love of baseball, first for the Mets and then for the Red Sox. She attended many games at Fenway Park, including a number of exciting playoff contests. Jo and Barney traveled to Canada frequently, to Cape Breton for Celtic Colours and to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the Shaw Festival.
She instilled a love of theater, reading, the beach, swimming, corn-on-the-cob (from a farm stand only), chocolate (though she liked milk, not dark), and summer cookouts in her children. She was very proud of her English and Swedish heritage and was delighted to recently learn that she was descended from both English nobility and the Swedish Travellers, or Romani, people.
This past summer Jo and Barney celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a family party at the home of their son and daughter-in-law, John and Tracy Hart of Nashua.
There are no calling hours. A funeral service will be held on Friday, March 6, 2020 at 2:00 PM at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 4 Watson St, Nashua, NH. Those who wish may make a donation in her memory to the Humane Society for Greater Nashua, 4 Ferry Road, Nashua, NH 03064.
She met her husband, Bernard “Barney” J. Hart, at Alfred, and they were married in 1959. They then moved to El Paso, TX, where Barney served in the Army and Jo taught elementary school. She also taught in the Lewiston-Porter School District in Western NY. After living in Clarksburg, VA, Lancaster, NY, Endwell, NY, and Williamsport, PA, the family moved to Nashua in 1974. Jo joined Pilgrim Congregational Church and served as the librarian of the church’s Goodhue Memorial Library for decades, allowing her to indulge her love of books. Jo was a long time, much sought-after substitute teacher in Litchfield, Hudson, and Nashua, often covering maternity leaves.
She is survived by her husband and three children, John Hart and his wife Tracy Hart of Nashua, Rebecca Hart of Nashua, and Jennifer Hart and her husband Carlos Sanchez of Maplewood, NJ. She is also survived by four beloved grandchildren, Sunshine Sanchez, Carlos Sanchez, Isabella Sanchez, and Rowan Hart, as well as many cherished nieces and nephews.
The daughter of a newspaperman, Jo read two newspapers every day and was an avid follower of politics and MSNBC. That she died on Super Tuesday is somehow appropriate. She also loved late-night TV, which resulted in her often knowing more about popular culture than her adult children did. An early love of horses led to a passion for horse racing that she shared with her son, and her prowess as a second baseman fueled her lifelong love of baseball, first for the Mets and then for the Red Sox. She attended many games at Fenway Park, including a number of exciting playoff contests. Jo and Barney traveled to Canada frequently, to Cape Breton for Celtic Colours and to Niagara-on-the-Lake for the Shaw Festival.
She instilled a love of theater, reading, the beach, swimming, corn-on-the-cob (from a farm stand only), chocolate (though she liked milk, not dark), and summer cookouts in her children. She was very proud of her English and Swedish heritage and was delighted to recently learn that she was descended from both English nobility and the Swedish Travellers, or Romani, people.
This past summer Jo and Barney celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a family party at the home of their son and daughter-in-law, John and Tracy Hart of Nashua.
There are no calling hours. A funeral service will be held on Friday, March 6, 2020 at 2:00 PM at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 4 Watson St, Nashua, NH. Those who wish may make a donation in her memory to the Humane Society for Greater Nashua, 4 Ferry Road, Nashua, NH 03064.