It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Amy Josephine (Amy Jo) Sooy-Tollefson on Feb. 13, 2019 in Cheney, Wash. Amy Jo was born in Sprague, Wash. on Nov. 25, 1933 to Mary Iva (Billie) and Ernest (Babe) Melville.
Amy Jo was raised on a wheat farm in the Lamont/Sprague area. In 1945 at the age of 12, her family moved from Lamont, Wash. to a farm on Cheney-Spangle Road. She graduated from Cheney High School in 1951. She married Fred Sooy in 1953 and was a farm wife for many years, caring for her children, husband and cooking for the many farm hands who worked on their ranch.
Amy Jo enjoyed being involved in her community, volunteering for Eastern Star, Job’s Daughters, P.E.O., Cheney Chamber events, and the Cheney Planning Commission. The highlights of her involvement in Job’s Daughters included being the Grand Guardian of Washington State in 1977, and the supreme musician for the National Convention in Hershey, Pa. Through her work she influenced countless young women. She was involved in P.E.O. since the early 70s and served in many officer roles, as well as president for two terms in her current Chapter IQ.
She also had a love of playing cards, playing bridge with a group of women from Amber that still meet today, and was an avid pinochle player.
As a businesswoman, Amy Jo owned a dress shop, and the County Seat Restaurant in the 1980s. She was a realtor and appraiser for Cheney from the 1970’s — 1990’s. Her civic responsibility continued with involvement in the Cheney Chamber of Commerce, serving as director in the early 1990’s. She was most proud of being the first woman to serve as the Mayor of Cheney from 1998 — 2005. During this time she also represented Cheney as chair of the light rail committee.
Amy Jo is survived by her daughter, Linda (John) Vickrey, Coos Bay, Ore.; son, Jim (Patti) Sooy, Cheney, Wash.; Ron Sooy, Cheney, Wash.; Ray (Kathleen) Sooy, Spokane, Wash.; brother, Richard (Diane) Melville, Cheney, Wash.; and sister Erna Jean Bauer, Cheney, Wash. She is also survived by four grandchildren: Ean Vickrey, Portland, Ore.; Brenna Vickrey, Los Angeles, Calif.; Luke (Kate) Sooy, Bozeman, Mont.; and Colby Sooy, Odessa, Wash.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Fred Sooy, in October 2003, and husband Dan Tollefson in March 2013, as well as her sister, Mary Lee Adamson.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 1 p.m. at the Cheney United Methodist Church, 204 4th St., Cheney, Wash. A private family burial will be held at Spokane Memorial Gardens Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Cheney Care Center or to P.E.O. Chapter IQ in Cheney. An online guestbook can be accessed at cheneyfuneral.com.
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