Jo Ann Paulissen passed peacefully from this world on Monday July 20th at York Hospital after a brief illness.

Jo Ann was born to Frank and Dorothy Ritz in Ohio County, West Virginia on June 10th 1937. She is survived by her daughter Dorothy VanBuren and her husband Martin West of St. Louis Missouri, Rick VanBuren and his wife Mary of Gettysburg, her son John David Van Buren of Topeka Kansas and her daughter Heather Redding and her husband Tim of Gettysburg. She is also survived by her sister Mary Lou Skinner of Kirby, West Virginia and David Ritz of Fort Worth, Texas. Jo Ann was predeceased by her beloved son Sean Paulissen, brother John Ritz and parents Frank & Dorothy Ritz. Jo Ann was "Grammy Jo" to seven grandchildren; Annabelle Lee VanBuren, Anthony VanBuren, Medora West, Kayla VanBuren, Miranda West, Lestat VanBuren and Aria Redding.


JoAnn worked a number of jobs in the area but is best remembered for her tenure at Ernie's Texas Lunch. JoAnn also shared her care and concern for others through her work as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Her passion in life was being a mother and homemaker. She was a wonderful cook, gifted seamstress and had a talent to make any space feel like home. Jo Ann loved decorating her home and hosting big family meals.


One of Jo Ann's many passions in life was music. She was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. She loved all types of music from classical & opera to honkey tonk and everything in between. Jo Ann was also a dedicated sports fan and loved Penn State, the Dallas Cowboys,and the Baltimore Orioles.


Jo Ann knew no stranger and made everyone she encountered feel special with her kind words. Her greatest joy in life was spending time with her friends and family. She often stated that her greatest accomplishment in life was her children. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.


Funeral Arrangements are being provided by Peter's Funeral Home, 321 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg. A viewing will be held on Saturday, July 25th from 10am until 11am. A Service celebrating Jo Ann's life will be held at 11am with Pastor Michael Allwein officiating.

To share memories of Jo Ann, please click "Sign Guest Book" above.

A memorial video celebrating Jo Ann's life can be viewed by clicking the link below, then click the photo to play the tribute video. (Special Note: If you have firewall protection installed on your computer, it may need to be disabled in order to play the tribute. Macintosh systems need Windows to use the tribute viewer).

Jo Ann Paulissen memorial video