Johanna "Jo" Hickey, age 88, of Camp Hill, passed peacefully at Messiah Lifeways on October 11, 2025, after navigating the challenges of dementia with courage and resilience.

Born in Pittsburgh on January 26, 1937, to the late Edward and Rose (Roach) Leech, she was preceded in death by her husband Owen Hickey, siblings Edward, Robert and Kathleen, beloved granddaughter Caity Hickey and her best friend, Pat Anastasio.

Jo was a loving sister, aunt and friend, but her true calling was as a Mother and caretaker of her family and, often, their friends (who she treated like her own). She was known for her wit, her love of language and books and her broad knowledge of history and trivia. She enjoyed spending time playing games of all kinds with friends and family and was rarely challenged at Jeopardy. She loved the physical newspaper, and was a master crossword puzzler. Jo passed her love of reading and learning on to her children and grandchildren early, reading to them in her lap before they could walk and giving them books for every birthday. A simple trip to a book store with Jo could last hours; she believed books could carry you to places near and far. She spent many volunteer hours at Good Shepherd School as a room mother, and even more as the school librarian, where she continued to spread her bibliophilia. She was an avid Phillies fan, spending most of her summer nights cheering them on. Jo's home was always open to friends and family, who she welcomed with love and plenty of her homemade comfort foods, most notably her legendary chocolate chip cookies.

Jo is survived by her four children: Bill (Mary Beth) Hickey, John (Colleen) Hickey, Kathleen (James) Boyles and Molly (Jim) Lowther, as well as her grandchildren Genna (Rob) Covington, Lizzy (Ben) Cornfield, Patrick (Kathleen) Hickey, Katie Hickey, Tim Hickey, Emma (Zach Smith) Lowther and Colin Lowther and 7 great-grandchildren.

Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 17th at 11:00 AM at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 3435 Trindle Rd., Camp Hill, PA 17011. A visitation will be held at the church on Friday, October 17th from 10:00 AM until the time of the Mass. A reception will be held in the church fellowship hall immediately following the mass. Interment will be held privately at Gate of Heaven, Mechanicsburg.

Mass will be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@goodshepherdcamphill2950/streams or https://www.facebook.com/goodshepcamphill/.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Messiah Lifeways Endowment Fund for Benevolent Care in Mechanicsburg, PA.