Jospehine Loughary

Josephine Caughell Loughary (Jo) passed away peacefully at her home on August 15, 2024, surrounded by her children and loving husband, Jim Maxson. 

Born on November 1st, 1930, to John and Lenta Caughell in Salem, Oregon, Jo had a happy childhood surrounded by doting grandparents, her namesake Aunt Josephine, her little brother John, and close friends she had known from birth. 

Jo earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Oregon in Eugene, where she served as President of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. It was there that she met and married her first husband, Jack Loughary. They welcomed their first daughter, Katie, in 1952, and over the next nine years, Jo and Jack expanded their family, adding sons Kevin and Patrick in Iowa, and daughters Becky and Kelly in California. In 1961, they returned to Eugene, where their third son, Keenan, was born. Jo immersed herself in a busy life, raising her family and actively participating in the community through organizations such as the PTA, League of Women Voters, and Friends of the Eugene Public Library. 

In 1968, the family embarked on a memorable journey through Europe in a VW Bus. Jo, a lifelong lover of literature with self-confessed: ‘compulsion for matching the right person with the right book’, returned to the University of Oregon and earned a Master of Library Science in 1971. She took great pride in her continued education, achieving the equivalent of a PhD.

Jo spent her career as a librarian in 4J schools, where she spread her enthusiasm for children’s literature. She was a gifted storyteller who instilled a love of libraries, books, and reading in her children and grandchildren, who will always remember the magic she brought to her tales.

In 1982, Jo met the love of her life, Jim Maxson. For the next 42 years, they enjoyed happy times in their Eugene home and at their beach house in Waldport, where they watched waves, walked the beach with faithful friend Arrow trotting alongside, read books by the fire, and felt fortunate to have found such perfect companionship.

Jo will be remembered for her beautiful smile, unique sense of color and fashion, love of food and travel, and her curiosity about everything from rocks to religion. She was a devoted mother and a loyal friend. Jo will be deeply missed and forever loved. 

She is survived by her husband, Jim Maxson, and her children: Katie Loughary (Audrey Avarado), Kevin Loughary (Mary), Patrick Loughary (Devra), Becky Loughary Robertson (John), Kelly Loughary (Matthew Steinburg), Keenan Loughary (Jodi), and James’ children: Rene Frost, Alec Maxson, and Kirk Maxson. Jo is also survived by her grandchildren: Sarah Samuels, Carly Robertson, Ian Robertson (Lauren), Cameron Loughary, and Dakota Loughary, as well as her great-grandchildren: Clara and Archie Samuels, Eugene Robertson-Ball, and Lucy Robertson. She was preceded in death by her granddaughter, Charlotte Loughary.