Jo Carol (Zellers) Murphy passed away due to complications from COVID-19 on Jan. 16 at Felicita Vida, Senior Community in Escondido, California.

Jo Carol was born in Los Angeles on Dec. 3, 1945, and moved to Santa Barbara when she was a child. She attended Mount Carmel Elementary School and Bishop Garcia Diego High School.

She married Tom Murphy and they raised three children: John, Lisa and Kimberly.

Jo Carol was a working mother, who always put her family first. She delighted in spending the holidays with family, while enjoying good food and traditions.

She will be remembered for her generosity, opening her home throughout her life to those who needed a place to stay, for however long. The house was never too crowded, money was never too tight, and everyone was family while they were there.

While raising her family, she worked as a bookkeeper at Federal Drug, Santa Barbara Distributing Company, Marborg Industries and Santa Barbara High School. She was an active volunteer at her children’s schools, her church and other community organizations.

Jo Carol surrounded herself with friends, and loved her bunco group, her friends in the neighborhood, and especially the weekly gatherings on the Mesa, where one never knew who would show up to join the party.

After her children were grown and she and Tom divorced, she moved to San Diego to be near her only grandchildren, at the time. In San Diego, she worked at San Diego State University before retiring.

She had a beautiful smile and infectious laugh that filled the room. And nothing brought her more joy than her kids and her grandkids. She especially loved being a grandma and she spoiled each grandchild!

Jo Carol had a soft spot for dogs and cats, and her home always had at least one of each. Her favorite pet was her last dog Gracie, her companion until she moved to the memory care community at Felicita Vida.

She is survived by her three children — John (Christine), Lisa Rivas (Noel) and Kim — and 6 grandchildren. She is also survived by her mother, Joy Zellers; her siblings, Greg Zellers (Sandy), Joni Ferrari, Frank Zellers (Tracy); and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Her family will be forever grateful to the caregivers at Felicita Vida, who cared for Jo Carol, keeping a smile on her face for the last three years of her life.

No public funeral service will be held during the pandemic. Anyone who knew Jo Carol will find a way to celebrate her life, without a doubt.

She loved her family, she loved good food, and she loved her pets. If that brings inspiration for giving to a local nonprofit dedicated to those life-fulfilling forces, by all means do that in her memory.