JoAnn Meta Nash

Loving Mother and Treasured Friend

JoAnn Meta Nash, known lovingly as Jo, passed away on May 4, 2026, at Talamore Memory Care in Woodbury, Minnesota, after a courageous journey with Parkinson's disease. She was 88 years old.

Jo was born on January 8, 1938, in Bismarck, North Dakota, to Godfred and Alice Gebhardt. She grew up in a large, close-knit family and graduated from Bismarck High School, where she shone as a Baton Majorette with the Bismarck High School Marching Band and the Elks Marching Band, a testament to her fun and lively personality. On July 1, 1956, she married Robert Nash, beginning a partnership and family that would define her life.

Of all her accomplishments, Jo was proudest of raising her family. She ran Red River Boarding Kennels for many years at their home near Glyndon, Minnesota, before moving to rural Park Rapids, where Jo fell in love with the forested landscape. She worked at the 3M Wonewok Conference Center as a hospitality worker until her retirement, a role that suited her warm and welcoming nature perfectly. Jo and Bob loved camping together, especially in Medora, North Dakota, with their Tall Pine Riders horse club friends.

Jo was the kind of person everyone loved to be around, quiet and loving. She was a bird watcher who treasured the woods around Park Rapids, a shanghai canasta card player who kept her family entertained during game nights, and a music lover who stayed current with the latest songs which kept her young at heart. More than anything, she loved spending time with her 5 children, 20 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren. She held an especially close and tender bond with her granddaughter Sami Castro, who passed away in October 2025.

Jo was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Nash; her son, Eric Nash; granddaughter Sami Castro; her parents, Godfred and Alice Gebhardt; her sisters Ruth Schmidt, Alice Bronsak, and Kathleen Garrett; and her brothers Roy, Ralph, Robert, Richard, Glenn, and James Gebhardt.

She is survived by her daughters, Linnea Castro, Bonnie (Greg) Van De Mark, and Britta (Cary) Anderson; her son, Eivind (Rachael) Nash; her sister, Carol Hetland and brother, Jack (Nancy) Gebhardt; her 19 grandchildren; her 30 great-grandchildren; and many other family members and friends who will miss her dearly.

Jo's faith carried her through life's joys and sorrows alike, and we find comfort knowing she is at peace and reunited with those she loved.