Jo Ella Finley

Jo Ella Horner Finley passed away at home in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on June 17, 2025, after a long battle with dementia. She was born August 11, 1938, to Aud and Lorena (Huff) Horner in Rector, Arkansas. She attended Marmaduke High School, where she played on the high school basketball team. During the summers, she (unhappily) picked cotton on the farm. She graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Education. Jo Ella taught high school business (shorthand, typing, accounting) in Missouri her entire career: two years at Broseley High, two years at Kennett High, and thirty years at Arcadia Valley High in Ironton. Consistent with the subjects she taught, she was an exacting teacher who taught generations of students essential skills. She also had a sly sense of humor, particularly when in the company of fellow teachers and cohorts Kathy Norris, Jo Maguffee, and Dorothy Scott Cox. She was named an Arcadia Valley Difference Maker in 2022. She married Jim Finley, a fellow teacher at AVHS on June 11, 1966. They have two children, Kara (Mike) Skelton of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Kris Finley of Los Angeles, California. Jo Ella is survived by her husband of fifty-nine years; her two children; a son-in-law Michael Skelton; two grandsons, Grant Michael Skelton and William Finley Skelton; three sisters Dianne (John) Phelps, Andrea (Gordon) Walton and Janet (Rex) Harmon; a brother-in-law Jerry (Debbie) Finley; three nieces - Elizabeth (Ian) Caton, Lauren (Alan) Preston, Mary (Brian) Evans; three nephews - Kelly (Joan) Harmon, Brad (Crystal) Phelps, and Hunter (Abby) Finley; and a goddaughter, Betsy (Corby) Turner. She was preceded in death by her parents; a baby brother, Kenneth; a brother-in-law, Rex Harmon; and a godson, Jonathan Scott. She was a longtime member of the Arcadia Valley United Methodist Church in Ironton and of the Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. She was a member of Arcadia Valley Woman’s Study Club, a founding member of Mina Sauk, a board member of the Ozark Regional Library and of Granting Grace Outreach, and a proud, lifelong member of the Democratic Party. At her request, her body was donated to science. The family will hold a visitation at Cole Family Funeral Home in Ironton on July 18, 2025, from 4:00 - 6:00 pm. A visitation will be held at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau on July 19 from 10 am - 12:00 pm, with a Celebration of Life to follow. In lieu of flowers, Jo Ella requested that memorials be given to Granting Grace Outreach, 1572 Howell Street, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, 63701, a non-profit founded by her grandson, Grant, in 2015 that helps community members in need.

Jo Ella Finley

August 11, 1938 - June 17, 2025