On February 25, 2024 Helena lost a dedicated Democrat and a fine ambassador for the city in the person of Jo Ann Prost.  Jo Ann passed away peacefully at Cooney Nursing Home.  She was 84 years old.

Jo Ann was born in Cape Girardeau at the closest hospital to Caruthersville, Missouri where she grew up.  She was the first child of Leslie A. and Tressie B. Prost.   Fourteen months later her brother Dick joined her.  They would be lifelong friends until his death in 2006.  Later, she would have three more siblings: Margaret, Donald, and William.

She graduated from Caruthersville High School and then attended Draughon's Business College in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jo Ann married her high school sweetheart, Morris D. Patterson, and while he attended the University of Missouri on a track scholarship, they had three children, Kathleen, Kevin and Aileen born in 1960, 1961 and 1962.  After Morris graduated from the University of Missouri the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri where they lived for a few years before a job transfer to Wisconsin.

Morris and Jo Ann divorced in 1971, and then Jo Ann moved to Colorado where she worked as a secretary and a model. Later, she moved to Montana where she managed Stuckey's Convenience Store in Bozeman and Livingston and Three Forks.  Then she moved to Helena where she found the city she would love for the rest of her life.

She decided to volunteer for the Montana Democratic Party.  She volunteered for multiple Democratic candidates including Montana Senator Ken Toole, U. S. Senator Max Baucus, Governor Brian Schweitzer and many others during her 30 years there.

Jo Ann attended Carroll College, completing her BA Degree and graduating in 1998 at the age of 60.  She was an icon on campus, was thrilled to be there, was well remembered by faculty, and treasured by fellow students for her humor and perseverance.

She loved adventuring in Montana, especially in Yellowstone Park.  She often gave rides to hitch-hikers wending their way around the state.  She was a gifted travel guide, and exercised this ability as she drove travelers on their explorations regardless of her own intended destinations.

When Jo Ann could no longer drive, she became a familiar sight on the streets of downtown Helena.  She loved walking to The Creperie for a crepe with Jeff, then coffee at the Hub, or to the General Mercantile, On Broadway, or the Silver Star…She reveled in companionship and the new friends she made daily.  She walked downtown in every kind of weather and at any hour.  When she could no longer traverse the streets on her own, she became a fixture on the Helena Transit System.

Movies were her passion, and she was a constant patron of Cinema One, luxuriating in the showings of the Metropolitan Opera.  She knew every staff member there by name and story. She supported the Myrna Loy Theater and was a loyal patron of The Helena Symphony.

Jo Ann gave a personal travelogue to every visitor she met on the street. She was delighted to shepherd them to all her treasured places in the Capital City.  A tour of the State Capitol Building was one of her joys.

Cats were the last loves of her life.  She loved their companionship and treasured their padding and purring.

Jo Ann was preceded in death by her parents Leslie A. and Tressie B, her brother Dick, and her daughter Aileen.  Survivors include siblings Margaret, Donald, and William, daughter Kathleen and son Kevin.  Jo Ann is also survived by 4 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Her family and friends wish to thank the staff at Cooney Nursing Home for their care of Jo Ann during her time there.

Jo Ann was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church.  A Memorial Mass will be celebrated there on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 11 A.M.

Friends wishing to remember Jo Ann may donate to Wild About Cats at PO Box 7866, Helena, MT  59604.

Simple Cremation Montana has assisted the family.