1928 – 2013

OQUOSSOC — JoAnne Conner Koob of Oquossoc died at home, with her family by her side, on Friday, Nov. 22, following a long illness.

JoAnne was born in Etna, N.H., on Oct. 23, 1928, the daughter of Malcom E. and Nellie (McCondach) Conner. She attended schools in Hanover, N.H., before moving to Troy, N.Y., where she married Robert G. Koob. They moved to Oquossoc in 1961, having fallen in love with the region during visits to Bob’s family’s summer home on Rangeley Lake. There, they purchased the M.A. Lisherness Company, renamed it Koob’s Garage and began what would become a family legacy, now Koob’s Garage and Oquossoc Marine, owned by her sons.

JoAnne embraced the Oquossoc community. She was a member of Our Lady of the Lakes church in Oquossoc and served countless civic organizations in her 54 years in the region. She was instrumental in establishing the Oquossoc Park and, for a time, co-owned the Oquossoc Gift Shop.

Her passions were her family and her home. Her kitchen became her workshop, where she created gourmet meals for family, for friends and for parties large and small, often ordering exotic ingredients from far away and just as often preparing fantastic dishes from local fish and game.

In 1983, JoAnne established Oquossoc’s Own B and B and Catering, turning her home and her talents into a successful career. JoAnne had a special ability to make all her guests feel like family, welcoming them into her home with a wide smile, a warm fire, the aroma of baked goods wafting from the kitchen and serving her famous breakfasts. JoAnne turned “homemaking” into a fine art.

JoAnne is survived by her beloved children and their spouses, Diane (Koob) Howe and her husband, Jim, of Sarasota, Fla., Lawrence “Larry” Koob and his wife, Susan, of Oquossoc, Janet (Koob) Alexander and her husband, Richard, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., and Michael Koob and his wife, Colleen; and nine step-grandchildren. She also leaves her brother, Ernest Conner, of Salisbury, Md., as well as several nieces, nephews and scores of devoted friends.

She was predeceased by her parents; by her brother, Robert Conner; and her sister, Arlene Huckins.

www.bibberfuneral.com.