Emma Josephine Sickels

Richfield, Utah - Surrounded by her beloved family, our dear, sweet Mother, Grandmother and Great-grandmother, Emma Josephine Talbert Sickels, age 86, passed from this life to a better one on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the Uintah Health Care in Vernal, Utah, where she had been a resident for the past six and one half years. She was born December 21, 1925 in McMinnville, Tennessee, a daughter of Toy Freeman and Leona Anderson Talbert. She lived in Tennessee until she was six years old and then moved to Detroit, Michigan, with her mother and sister, so her mother could work in the factories during the depression. While living in Detroit, she met Harold McCleland Sickels and they were married on April 3, 1943 in San Louis Obispo, California, where Harold was stationed temporarily in the service during World War II. They traveled all over the Untied States until his deployment over seas. She then returned to Detroit to stay with her mother, until Harold’s discharge from the service after the war was over. They moved to Richfield, Utah in 1946 and put down their permanent roots. She worked and was a partner at the Rowana Café on main street in Richfield for many years. She also worked at Poulsen’s Café as a cook and waitress, along with her husband. Harold was killed, December 23, 1972, and after his death, Jo, as she was known to her many friends in Richfield, became a nurse’s aid, working at the Richfield Hospital and the Senior Care Center. She drove the Meals on Wheels bus and somehow, found time to take care of senior citizens in their own home, for several years, until her knees gave out and then she finally retired. Jo was a kind and helpful person to everyone. She loved to travel and see new things. She was an active member of the VFW Auxiliary. Mother loved her family and spent a lot of time with her beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her eyes would always sparkle when she was around them. Mom, we all love you and will miss you so much. She is survived by her children: Joann Lee and Louie Hernandez of Salt Lake City; Vicki Marie and John Reber of LaPoint, Utah; and Harold Creston Sickels of Draper; four grandchildren: Cody, Lance, Wendy and Dusty; seven great-grandchildren: Quinton, Lynsey, Taylor, Chantelle, Justin, Dakota and Caitlyn; one great-great-grandson, Easton. She has been in three, five generation pictures. She was preceded in death by her beloved mother, Leona King and her step-father, Rulon King; a sister, Rose Sickels; and a brother-in-law: Virgil Sickels. Grave side Memorial services will be held Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 1:00 P.M. in the Richfield City Cemetery under the care of the Springer Turner Funeral Home of Richfield and Salina, Utah.