Obituary for Jo Soldato Raney
New Lebanon – Jo Soldato Raney, 75, passed away August 1, 2022. Born in Pittsfield on January 15, 1947, she was the daughter of the late Mario and Julia Soldato.
Jo grew up in New Lebanon and was a 1965 graduate of New Lebanon Junior-Senior High School. She went on to attend UMass-Boston where she earned her Master’s degree. She lived in Boston, Wareham, MA, California, and eventually settled back home in New Lebanon where she was an Art teacher and president of the Teacher’s Union until her retirement. In her free time Jo loved to tend to her garden, read books, sew, and knit. She was always down for a good debate over just about anything. She could often be found with a smile on her face as she always found humor in any situation. Jo was lucky enough to be able to travel the world; including trips to Greece, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Russia, China, Germany, and Mexico just to name a few.
Jo is survived by her companion, Michael Cohen of New Lebanon, her siblings; Kathleen (Eric) McCumber of Stephentown, Diane (Donald) DiBuono of New Lebanon, and Michael “Micky” (Lynne) Soldato of New Lebanon, her nieces and nephew; Donald (Brodi) DiBuono, Jr., Laura (August) Gosh, Sage Soldato, and Madison Soldato, and by her pups Tucker and Tillie. She was preceded in death by her husband William D. Raney who passed in 1980.
A visitation will be held Monday, August 8, 2022 from 4 until 7 PM at Hall and Higgins Funeral Home, Stephentown. A funeral will be celebrated at 10 AM on Tuesday at Immaculate Conception Church, New Lebanon, with interment to follow in Cemetery of the Evergreens. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a Humane Society of your choice in memory of Jo and her love for animals.
Jo grew up in New Lebanon and was a 1965 graduate of New Lebanon Junior-Senior High School. She went on to attend UMass-Boston where she earned her Master’s degree. She lived in Boston, Wareham, MA, California, and eventually settled back home in New Lebanon where she was an Art teacher and president of the Teacher’s Union until her retirement. In her free time Jo loved to tend to her garden, read books, sew, and knit. She was always down for a good debate over just about anything. She could often be found with a smile on her face as she always found humor in any situation. Jo was lucky enough to be able to travel the world; including trips to Greece, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Russia, China, Germany, and Mexico just to name a few.
Jo is survived by her companion, Michael Cohen of New Lebanon, her siblings; Kathleen (Eric) McCumber of Stephentown, Diane (Donald) DiBuono of New Lebanon, and Michael “Micky” (Lynne) Soldato of New Lebanon, her nieces and nephew; Donald (Brodi) DiBuono, Jr., Laura (August) Gosh, Sage Soldato, and Madison Soldato, and by her pups Tucker and Tillie. She was preceded in death by her husband William D. Raney who passed in 1980.
A visitation will be held Monday, August 8, 2022 from 4 until 7 PM at Hall and Higgins Funeral Home, Stephentown. A funeral will be celebrated at 10 AM on Tuesday at Immaculate Conception Church, New Lebanon, with interment to follow in Cemetery of the Evergreens. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a Humane Society of your choice in memory of Jo and her love for animals.