Henrietta Jo (Jonas) Schwab, a fifth-generation descendant of the German settlers of Comal County, passed away on Friday, November 25, 2022 at Brookdale Westlake in Austin. A lifelong resident of the New Braunfels and Canyon Lake area, she was 85.

Jo was born on March 3, 1937 to Elmo and Viola (nee Burkhardt) Jonas. She was born at home near Sattler, and brought into the world by Dr. Bertha Frueholz, New Braunfels' first female physician.

In 1945, she and her family moved to a ranch near Hancock, where she rode her favorite horse Dolly to nearby Sorrell Creek school.

In 1951, she moved to New Braunfels to live with her grandmother, Augusta Werner, so she could attend New Braunfels High School. She played saxophone in the Unicorn marching band and graduated in 1954.

She met Morris "Moe" Schwab at a dance at Fischer Hall in 1954 and married him on January 19, 1955. She came as close to "managing" Moe as was humanly possible. They were married for 58 years when Moe passed away in April of 2013.

Before becoming a full-time mom, Jo worked at Pete Nowotny's Insurance Agency in late 1950's New Braunfels. In 1977, she began a 28-year career at the Comal ISD tax office. After retiring from CISD, she tended to her yard, ran her Boer goat operation and hosted many wonderful guests at the Rocking MJ Ranch B&B.

She was a lifelong member of First Protestant Church. Jo was one of the ever-dwindling numbers of German speakers in the area and still liked to speak German to friends and family who spoke the language.

Jo is survived by a son, Carlton Schwab and his wife Kierstan of Austin: a daughter, Carlene Ashton and her husband, Jim of Reno, Nevada: and, five adult grandchildren: Clark, Thomas and Karina Schwab and Zachary and Matthew Lancaster. She is also survived by her brothers: Elroy Jonas of New Braunfels and Mike Jonas of Goldthwaite as well as dozens of extended relatives and lifelong friends in the New Braunfels area.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Dorothy Overman as well as the many great caregivers with Home Instead and Brookdale of Westlake who took care of Jo during the past two years.

A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at Fischer Cemetery in Fischer, Texas.

Please sign the guestbook at www.doeppenschmidtfuneralhome.com