116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Dr. Jo Eland
DR. JO ELAND
Iowa City
At the end of the nurses' shift on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, Jo left this world on her own terms. A Service of Remembrance and Celebration will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City. The family will greet friends after 10 a.m. A reception will follow at The Kirkwood Room. Casual attire requested. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the University of Iowa Foundation for the College of Nursing, P.O. Box 167, Iowa City, IA 52244.
Jo was born April 6, 1945, in Mediapolis. She received her bachelor's, master's degree and her PhD from the University of Iowa. Jo was a professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Iowa for 41 years. Her colleagues, friends and family describe Jo as a mentor, teacher, advocate, philanthropist, photographer and even a second mom. As a mentor, Jo mentored humility, empathy and ceaseless compassion. As a philanthropist, everybody knows of her unlimited and unwavering generosity. As a teacher, Jo embodied and inspired student nurses to be their very best. Her knowledge and passion for children's pain management was legendary and reached globally, including extensive work taking students to India, to collaborating with international colleagues in Italy.
Jo was a fierce advocate for pain management at the international level, national level and the personal level involving the pain management of patients who were family or friends. She worked tirelessly with international colleagues on collaborative presentations and publications. Her advocacy at the national level included testifying before Congress about pain management. On a more personal level, she would advocate for family members, friends and family members of friends going through issues of pain management.
Jo never missed a chance to share her heart and spread her love onto those in her life. Her strength, humor and zest for life were always infectious. Her family and friends will carry her spirit forward.
Jo is survived by her sister, Inez (Gil) Dawes of Indianola; nieces, Juli Agan of West Des Moines and Jessica Ireland of Des Moines; her nephew, Jeff Ireland of Charlotte, N.C.; great-nieces, Christine Hagerty, Maddie Hagerty and Kaleigh Ireland; and great-nephew, Kaelan Ireland.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Mildred (Walker) Eland.
Online condolences may be sent to www.lensingfuneral.com.
Daily Newsletters