Josephine “Jo” Stratton passed away peacefully on March 12 at the age of 95 in Huntsville, AL. She was born in Preston, NY, on July 5, 1926, the fourth child of Ethel and Thomas Kalicicki and lived most of her life in Chenango County, NY.
Jo was a teacher at heart, receiving degrees from the State University of New York Teachers College at Fredonia, NY and later from SUNY Binghamton, NY in Special Education. She taught at Perry Browne School in Norwich, NY for many years and later through the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).
After her retirement, she pursued a doctoral degree in education for the visually impaired from Teachers College at Columbia University, New York City. This included working at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, KY and the publication of several books for visually impaired children. She focused on teaching blind children in a regular classroom, was a consultant in the field and helped train others to transcribe childrens’ books into Braille.
While in Norwich she was active in Roots and Wings, a subsidiary of Catholic Charities and also participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chenango County for many years.
No services are planned at this time.
