Published on December 14, 2025 7:10 am
Last Updated on December 15, 2025 10:34 am
Jo-Ellen (Stine) Frailey, 84, of Brownstown, died at 12:12 a.m. on Friday, December 12, 2025 at her son’s home in Urbana, Illinois with Scott and Anna at her side.
Funeral services will be at 5:30 pm Friday, December 19th at Gieseking Funeral Home, Brownstown with visitation following until 7:30 pm. Graveside services will be at 11:00 am Saturday at Griffith Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Brownstown Alumni Association or Griffith Cemetery.
Jo-Ellen was born on Thursday, May 8, 1941 in Vandalia, IL to Wayne (Sturdy) and Mabel (Justi) Stine. JoEllen was a life-long resident of Brownstown, IL. She graduated from Brownstown High School in 1959 and worked at McCoy’s Diner in Brownstown and then at Crane Packing in Vandalia. She married Max Frailey on December 8, 1962 at the First Christian Church of Brownstown. She was a “farmers wife” for over 25 years cooking and delivering meals and driving the 1954 Chevy grain truck during harvest. She was a regular fixture in downtown Brownstown for almost 15 years as co-owner of Max and Jo’s Hardware and Shoe Repair. Her favorite part was seeing who would come in that day and have a visit of some kind; this was especially notable during gardening time and during bulk seed and garden plant sales. Grandma valued relationships with family, friends, high school classmates, neighbors, and all people. Grandma Jo loved nothing more than being Grandma, Mimi, and Babushka and completely loved and adored her three grandchildren. During each grandchild’s first years of life, setting aside her other responsibilities, Grandma cared for and stayed with the grandchildren in their homes effortlessly and lovingly, which required 100s of long weekend trips back and forth to Brownstown. As they got older, it was impossible for Grandma to miss any grandchild’s event from cheerleading to volleyball to baseball. Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinner at Grandma’s was a tradition for over half a century. Grandma was always on the go, sometimes driving long distances to stay with friends and relatives in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida. In the 80’s, as a passenger, multi-state, weekend and weeklong motorcycle trips with friends were common. For several decades, she regularly volunteered at many Moose Lodge events. Grandma would not or could not miss meeting her friends and classmates at the Brownstown High School Reunion. It was her event for the year. From picking out her outfit to the meals with classmates and alumni to the dances and socializing the day before, the day of and the day after. It was “her thing”. Her reunion pictures show her big smile of happiness and pride to participate in this event. She kept in contact with distant lifelong Brownstown classmates, friends, and neighbors with regular daily and weekly phone calls, reminiscing about past shenanigans and amusing memories. Grandma seemed to have a clever and humorous anecdote. In the past several years, these relationships became more and more important to her to have regular and familiar voices and when needed the kindness of her neighbor-friends to help her with daily life requirements. For all the holidays, Grandma was seen at many of the Fayette County cemeteries: Griffith, Forbis, Haley Chapel, and Mt. Carmel respecting and recognizing those who had passed by decorating graves of her family, friends, and relatives of her friends. She often visited friends and relatives who could no longer get around because they were hospitalized, in a long-care home, or home-bound, taking them a pie, an ice cream, or offering a ride in the country. She always made a point to visit so that they each had another lasting memory to see each other and share past times.
She is survived by her son, Scott (Anna) Frailey of Urbana, IL; daughter, Shelly Seaman of Brownstown and her grandchildren Sydney, Sophia, and Garrick and many Stine-cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Mabel and her older sister Ivalee.
Grandma Jo was always there and still is there in so many ways and will never really be gone from the hearts and minds of her children, grandchildren, and cherished friends. She was a very good role model to remind us of the importance and value of people in our lives.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.giesekingfh.com.