Jo Yount, June 20 1937 - July 10 2026

By Kathy Ryan and Sheila Long, as published on the Grange Newsletter

Jo Yount was a force of energy for Quimper Grange and beyond. She was an avid and adventurous outdoors person, creative in her solutions to many problems, and devoted to her Christian Science Church faith.

She and her husband George helped reboot the Grange when it was in danger of being closed. They made it possible to get the roof and windows replaced, and they ran the contra dances for many years until the Covid pandemic put a pause on everything.

The Grange was in Jo’s heart. She found quilting medallions from a vintage project and had artfully affixed them on insulated shades for all the Grange windows. In 2025, the shades were worn beyond repair and replaced, but the medallions were rescued and cleaned for a future display.

In 2012 Jo created the Quimper Grange Food Bank Garden in order to further serve her community with fresh food for the food banks. She shared her gardening expertise with any who wanted to learn about feeding ourselves and our community. Today, the garden hosts a trellis and bench dedicated to her spirit, and feeds hundreds of people throughout the year at the food banks and other organizations.

From Kathy Ryan:

"I met Jo in 2014, through my second friend in PT who upon hearing I had worked on farms on the east coast thought I could be useful.

I got to know Jo when she needed a driver and we spent just about every day in the garden. She amazed me with her knowledge of how to use amendments. Her beds were always prolific. I loved her stories. She talked about her weekly prison visits, raspberries, her sewing projects, recipes, friends like Tinker, gratitude for starts from Judy at Dundee Hill, and how to space different plants using only her hand. She welcomed my grandchildren as warmly as she did all volunteers and taught them the difference between herbs, veg, and weeds, how to get all the weed root, how to harvest without causing damage. And she made it fun. She always talked with them as equals. It inspired my granddaughter to start a garden at home, and she reveled in her first carrots."

The Quimper Grange Food Bank Garden was known by volunteers as Jo’s Garden for the hours she dedicated to growing and sharing, especially her flowers and signature salad mixes. In 2024 the QG Garden asked the Community Boat Project to create an arbor for Jo: this has become a memorial to her passion.

 Lys Burden, considered the Founding Mother of the Food Bank Growers shared this:

"In the formative years of Food Bank Growers, we used to meet monthly at Jo and George's house for reviewing our finances and sharing what was going on in our production gardens. In those years we only had three sites at Mountain View Commons, Port Townsend High School and Quimper Grange and about 7 people participating. Sometimes we would bring pot-luck snacks, and Jo would provide herbal tea. It was a time of organizational establishment and learning better techniques for high production yields. We had fun sharing our wins and discussing our challenges. Lots of ideas crystallized and solid information about best gardening practices flowed from our mentor, Jo Yount. She was an invaluable leader and participant in the project's growth and success."

 Jo was active in the Christian Science Society, building and managing the Blessings Garden with Judith Johnson who shared this story:

  "We started the Garden in 2004, mostly just the two of us. I told Jo it was the best soil I had ever worked. I also helped her in her own landscape when we entered it into the Master Gardener Secret Garden gala. She and I graduated from the same MG class, but I only got to know her through church. We had a wonderful time growing flowers and veggies together. I introduced her to Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato that she so enjoyed."

Below: A gazebo dedicated to Jo Yount is a permanent part of the Quimper Grange Garden, offering a shady place to view and enjoy the flowers and veggies throughout the year.