Contributions to the tribute of Josephine Wood Sibold

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Joe Reynolds posted a condolence

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

I was nine when I was shipped off to a labor camp. It was only a 10-min walk from home, and my brother was there. And they served lemonade at noon. So it could’ve been worse. Josie was a family friend and had turned her garage into her studio, making concrete garden sculptures by hand using secret techniques I still can’t divulge. She started slowly, playing in the evenings after work. But by the time I started at Ballycoreagh, she had quit her job and was hauling van-loads of work to craft shows across the southeast and selling out every one. Ballycoreagh was named after her house, which was named after her family “castle” somewhere in Ireland, and the characters she made were a magical blend of leprechauns, druids, Picassos and 1920s southern society ladies. I was the fifth boy in the lineage to be volunteered by their parents to help her on summer mornings for a reasonable wage – and lemonade at noon. My duties grew over the years as my wingspan did, from yard boy to house boy to ceiling rebuilder to closet editor to furniture restorer to beehive extractor (we called a pro for this one). But there was always concrete to mix and wire-framed druids to build. And whenever I was home for a few weeks, no matter where in the world I’d been, I’d always call Josie to see if she needed help. When I found myself in a suit for 10 years working long hours at a corporate hotel, Josie urged me to come home. My mom had bought me a camera to relax, and after dropping my photo class three times due to work, I took Josie’s advice. I moved home and started waiting tables to pursue something that gave me joy. And I called Josie to see if she needed help. I enrolled in photo courses at the community college, instead of tech school where I’d been. I was raised in liberal arts education and saw all disciplines tied in a single exploration of the world, and I wanted to know that photo fit in. I had already graduated college once and was leery to dive back into student loans, so community college allowed me to explore small steps that fit into my waiter’s budget. Yet it tied photo to these other subjects I understood. And following a degree seemed like insurance that this path had value, if I chose to go that far. Surprisingly, college was joyful this time, so moving to university was seamless. I already knew how to use needle-nose pliers and how to shape clay, and washing darkroom trays was no different than washing concrete mixing buckets. That summer, as I vacuumed at Josie’s, I realized that the rows of books that lined each step of her grand staircase were simply stacks of art journals, spanning the history of modernist painting. She let me take many of them home, but the bulk I had to read during lemonade breaks, which by then included a roast beef sandwich and an apple. When I graduated college the second time, Josie was there. It wasn’t really graduation, but my first solo show was the bigger prize than the ceremony the next week. Still, Josie presented me with a wire-framed druid topped with a mortar board – a druid I’d probably made. It was clothed in layers of $1 & $5 bills wrapped around its body. It took 30 minutes to undress. When I graduated college the third time, it was too far for Josie to travel. By that time, I was mainly editing boxes in her basement. My brother had done it 20 years prior, and it was his writing on the labels. A few months later, when I got home from a photo trip abroad, even those jobs were gone, so I just spread my pictures on the dining room table as soon as I came over. “This is the most exciting thing I’ve seen in months!” she said after two hours of listening to everything I could remember about my trip. Nine months traveling meant I’d lost track of her daily routine and could barely follow the poetry of her dementia-laced conversation. But I knew she’d followed my every word, and her excitement was real. I think the last job I did for Josie was to wash my own scotch glass. A bottle had been dropped off earlier by The Boy, a title she now blurred between me, my son, my brother’s son, the guy who'd worked after me, and her nephew – her first employee. One of us had done it. I’m 20 years and 2 degrees into my photo journey, and I’m still doing about the same thing – exploring joy in small steps that fit into my waiter’s budget. This unnerved me until my wife and I bought a fixer-upper and turned the busted garage into my darkroom. A generous gift in Josie’s will had sparked the idea, but it took mixing a bucket of concrete during construction and sinking the trowel into the sand for me to truly understand why she'd quit her job. My creativity is shaped by the colorful bits of life that flow all around me. There is no greater joy than knowing how to shape those bits into something meaningful, even if it’s only for you, especially if it’s only for you. Josie recognized something joyful in me, and she was loving enough to stand by me until I recognized it for myself. My darkroom is now up and running, Ballycoreagh West, and we serve lemonade at noon.

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Marc & Janie Gall uploaded photo(s)

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

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Josie, what a beautiful soul she was. We only knew her that one weekend we stayed with her . A gracious host and lady she was. We talked, laughed, cooked, antiqued, and went out to dinner. It was as if we had known her all our lives. People in our community who have met her at the art fairs all speak very fond of her. Her much loved art will live on in our gardens. Marc and Janie Gall

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Marc & Janie Gall uploaded photo(s)

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

So sad so here of Josie’s passing. We met Her in 2013 when we called from Michigan and expressed interest in obtaining some of her Art. She immediately insisted that we come visit and and stay with her! We were so impressed by her gracious hospitality and lovely sprit. We will always treasure our memories of Josie and her special garden Art. The Art World has lost a special talent.

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Shannon Pieper posted a condolence

Saturday, December 26, 2020

I just learned of Josie's passing yesterday and I am so very sad. She was a spirit unlike any other that I had ever encountered in my life. She opened her heart and her amazing home to me on several occasions and I will miss her terribly. Much love to you Miss Josie ❤

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Catherine Traver posted a condolence

Saturday, December 19, 2020

We loved Josie and were so sorry to hear she had died. I know Mother misses her friendship , but I am glad they had each other for so many years. She was a fun lady and always a part of our lives growing up - almost like a fun aunt. We will never forget her. Love to all the family. Sincerely, Catherine Thatcher Traver

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Bo Ferger uploaded photo(s)

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Aunt Josie was my mom's best friend and was my Godmother. I worked for her when I was young making concrete mushrooms. She was very special to me and my family. We will miss her dearly.

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Mitzi posted a condolence

Saturday, November 28, 2020

What a wonderful tribute to a woman who remained steadfast in her love and devotion to Evelyn, Tweedie, Woody, and Harry I know she will be deeply missed. Mitz

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The family of Josephine Wood Sibold uploaded a photo

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Josephine Wood Sibold

1930 - 2020

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