How JoAnn Came to Be


Friday, August the 13th, 1943, was no regular day nor was it a frightening occasion, because somewhere in Seattle, Washington, my mom entered this earthly world. 

Now, upon my mom's arrival, her mom, Helen, named her Iola Fay, which was her mom's given name before her mom was adopted. So, my grandmother on my mom's side was named at birth Iola Fay. When she was adopted, her adopting mother changed her name to Helen Alice, which was her adopting mother's name. So, my grandmother, to honor original name's sake, she named my mom Iola Fay. I had no clue she had the name of Iola Fay until I was an adult and found out from her. 

After all the hoopla surrounding my mom's name, her father, Wesley, wasn't even home when she was born or was named, he was off in the Navy fighting in World War II. When he did arrive home from the war he said, her name is JoAnn. So, that's how my mom ended up with the legal name of Iola Fay but goes by JoAnn.   

My mom was often called "Jo" by her family and relatives and she said she hated that name. I don't know why but she hated it. She told me her school mates used to call her "Mitch the Bitch" which she believed to be distasteful and hurtful. The curiosity here is, was she mean or was it just because it rhymed? My dad preferred her name JoAnn over the Iola Fay, which I prefer too, because, like I said, I had no clue she carried the name of Iola Fay. JoAnn's the name she liked, so she had no problem with it because she herself never liked the name Iola Fay. 

What's funny about my mom is, when someone asks for her name she will reply with, "Do you want my real name (meaning her legal name) or the name I go by?" This is because my dad did everything for her and she never had a clue what name was needed for anything and she still struggles now that he has passed. She has decided to have all her names on my mom and dad's headstone to commemorate all her names. 

The picture above is my mother at 6 months old. 

On This Date
United States President: Franklin D. Roosevelt. 
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Goat
Star Sign: Leo

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