Jo Ann Schreiber Murillo
On Feb. 7, 2023, Jo Ann Schreiber Murillo died peacefully at the home of her son, Tony Murillo and his wife, Patti, where she was lovingly cared for during the last weeks of her life.
A Rosary will be held at St. Mary’s Church in Windthorst on Feb. 16, at 10 a.m. with Mass to follow with Reverend Michael Moloney, OFS, Pastor of St. Mary’s and St. Boniface Catholic Church, officiating. Interment will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Windthorst under the direction of Aulds Funeral Home of Archer City.
A Memorial Mass and reception will be held in late March in San Antonio.
Jo Ann was born March 16, 1940 to John Paul Schreiber and Gertrude Mary Zotz, descendants of the original settlers of Windthorst, where she grew up on a farm with her six siblings. She attended Windthorst schools which at the time of her attendance were staffed by Sisters of The Incarnate Word. Jo Ann was a student athlete and played on the girls’ basketball team. She also loved dancing and music and was part of an all-girl accordion band which did a weekly radio show.
An early interest in nursing was encouraged by her parents as well as Principal Sr. Mary Eleanor who taught biology and chemistry classes. In 1961 she graduated from the St. Joseph School of Nursing in Fort Worth. In her senior year during a psychiatric rotation at the public health hospital, she met the dark, dashing newly-hired social worker Gilbert J. Murillo. After a whirlwind courtship, they began an everlasting romance, and last year celebrated 62 years of marriage.
The couple left Fort Worth for Cuernavaca, Mexico to study Spanish and related courses at Fr. Ivan Illich’s Intercultural Documentation Center and then settled in San Antonio. After working for five years at Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, Jo Ann became a full-time mom to their children Tina and Tony. It was during this time that she first became involved in inner city issues dealing with racial and economic segregation and intergenerational poverty. Later, as president of the St. Patrick’s C.O.P.S. organization, she was able to organize a neighborhood plan and obtained funding for drainage, streets and sidewalks, a housing program and park improvements. Jo Ann and Gil worked for years with East Side allies on various Neighborhood Alliance issues including environmental justice and the development of the AT&T Center.
Jo Ann volunteered her skills as a nurse at St. Patrick’s Parochial School and YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow while her children were students and campers. In 1971, the family headed for Denver, Colo. where Gilbert received a PhD in Community Practice and Jo Ann obtained a BS in Nursing from Loretto Heights College. Back in San Antonio, Jo Ann began her college nursing career, first at St. Mary’s University, then Incarnate Word College, and finally to San Antonio College where she established the Wellness Center and created a campus Health Awareness Committee that hosted wellness retreats, health fairs, walks, cholesterol and melanoma screening and a faculty wellness program. After a two-year sabbatical to spend time with her new grandchildren, Jo Ann returned to school nursing - this time for the San Antonio Independent School District. Over her 13 years at W.W. White Elementary, she chaired the Health and Fitness Committee that sponsored a yearly health fair with participants from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Alamo Community College, City Parks & Rec, the American Lung Association, Carver Cultural Center, Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA and East side physicians.
Jo Ann was a devoted parishioner of St. Patrick’s Church in San Antonio for more than 50 years, and in “retirement” she served as a lector and was the primary organizer for St. Patrick’s Day festivities and planner for church festivals. She also founded the Senior Ministry which brought together seniors from the neighborhood for fellowship and service. She left a lasting impact on her community in so many ways.
Gil and Jo Ann were avid travelers, who in their early years of marriage dragged their children around Mexico and the American West. As a couple they jaunted through Spain, France and Italy. Jo Ann also had a great time traveling with her parents and sister Margie to Germany and Panama. In later years, Gil and Jo Ann took religious tours to Israel, Fatima and Lourdes. Their last trips were a tour of Turkey as the “cradle of Christianity” and to Rome (one more time) to witness the canonization of Pope John Paul II.
Jo Ann will be most remembered for her dazzling smile, upbeat personality and joyous love of life. Her Schreiber and Murillo nieces and nephews have fond memories of their trips to San Antonio and all of the big dinners and parties she would host. Her instruction to beloved granddaughters Molly and Emily (both of whom were “Number One Granddaughter”) was “Be good, be glad, be brave”. Jo Ann became a Great-Granny in 2019 with the birth of Emily’s daughter, Olive, and loved her children and grandchildren with all her heart. They will greatly miss her pizza dinners, taco breakfasts, and midnight dancing on the patio.
Jo Ann is survived by her beloved husband Gilbert J. Murillo, brothers J.P. Schreiber (Vicki) and David Schreiber (Nelda), sisters Margie Baumhardt (Jim) and Jane Johnson (Mike), and sister-in-law Mary Jane Schreiber; her children Tina and Tony (Patti), stepdaughter Kim Murillo, her grandchildren Molly Willard and Emily Murillo, and great-granddaughter Olive Wedow.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John Paul Schreiber and Gertrude Mary Zotz; her brothers Raymond and Ronnie Schreiber, and sister-in-law Jaynie Schreiber.
In lieu of flowers, please remember Jo Ann with a donation to support nursing students at San Antonio College. Gifts may be sent to Alamo Colleges Foundation, Attn: Jo Ann Schreiber Murillo Memorial Fund, 2222 N. Alamo St. 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio, TX 78215 or online at https:// giving.alamo.edu/memorial (please select “Other” and type “Jo Ann Schreiber Murillo Memorial”).
