Joanne "Jo" A. Buth

Joanne “Jo” Buth of Waukesha passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at AngelsGrace Hospice at age 87. She was born in Oconomowoc on June 28, 1936, the daughter of Ernest and Ethel (nee Haesemeyer) Kraft. On November 4, 1962, she married Lloyd Buth; he preceded her in death on July 26, 2018. Jo was a longtime member of Good Shepherd and Ascension Lutheran Churches. For the last 23 years, Jo has been very active in the resettlement of refugees from Burma who live in Waukesha.

She will be lovingly remembered by her children, Cathy (Jeff) Britton of Oconomowoc and Joel (Paulette) Buth of Fairbanks, Alaska; her grandchildren, Erin (Ned), David (Caitlin), Luke, Nicholas, and Ellie; her sister Carol Potratz; brother Kenneth (Barbara) Kraft; nieces, nephews, other relatives, and many friends, especially PawPa Soe and Steven Win Aung.

Jo will also be greatly missed by all the refugees she has worked with over the years. She was very proud of having helped over 300 people with their citizenship paperwork. She helped dozens if not hundreds of refugees navigate the American legal, education, professional, and health care systems. Over the years her reputation of compassion spread through the Burmese refugee community in the region and beyond; people knew if they called Pee Jo (Grandma Jo in Karen, a language of Burma) day or night, she would answer and do her best to help them.  Jo and Lloyd always welcomed people into their home who needed a place to stay, and enjoyed repeat visits by friends from South Africa and Finland.

She loved to travel, beginning by exploring Europe with a friend in 1962. Annual family camping trips, time spent with Lloyd in Florida, Arizona, and Hawaii, and dozens of visits to see Joel’s family in Fairbanks kept her always planning the next adventure. In 2008 she spent a month in Thailand, visiting the refugee camps where “her people” had lived after having fled from their homes in Burma, and meeting family members of those she knew in Waukesha. She also cherished time spent alone, or with family and friends, at Utica Lake.

Jo’s family would like to thank the nursing staff at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, and Drs. Janet Turner and Justin Dux for their compassion and dedication to her care during this challenging time.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023 from 9:00 AM until the 11:00 AM memorial service at Ascension Lutheran Church, 1415 Dopp St. Waukesha, WI 53188.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Jo’s name are appreciated to the family to be used for a scholarship in her name to help refugee students.