Lela Vonetta Joses

Lela Vonetta (Etherington) Joses was born on January 1, 1941, to Charles and Verda Etherington in Pocatello, Idaho. She celebrated being a New Years Baby and often would not let the family forget it. She was the oldest of 10 children growing up in Minidoka County near Burley, Idaho. After graduating from High school, Lela wanted to explore new horizons beyond Idaho and had a cousin in California.

 In 1958 she moved to California and got a job at Pacific Bell telephone company, where she was employed as a telephone operator and made many new friends. One friend introduced her to her future husband John Joses. They began dating, as John was working summers, home from College at Fresno State. In 1965,  John and Lee were married in the methodist Church in Ione, Ca. and made a home in Sacramento, CA   

In 1969 their first daughter Kara was born, and in 1973 they welcomed their second daughter Lora. With two young children at home, Lee made the decision to  quit her job to stay home with the girls. While John was employed by International Harvester in the loan and finance department while working to maintain and grow his herd of beef cattle during nights and weekends. 

With a company transfer, they bought their first home in Pleasanton California where they raised the girls. Lee enjoyed being an active and social. She was a regular participant on the bowling league,  and a leader for Camp Fire girls. While almost every weekend packed up and drove to Ione to work on the ranch. Summers brought month long trips to live in a small trailer and oversee cattle in the mountain pastures of  Lake Tahoe and Hope Valley, among other areas. The family spent many weekends like this, enjoying time together in the outdoors and often bathing in the snowmelt creeks and enjoying the cooler mountain summers. In the Pleasanton area, Lee enjoyed being able to do independent jobs, such as retail market surveys or wallpapering jobs, usually paired up with her close friend Sharon. Eventually she settled into a job in accounts payable for local homebuilder Signature properties. In the early 2000’s, John and Lee  sold their home in Pleasanton and moved to Ione to be closer to the ranch property and cattle. 

Over the course of almost 60 years married, Lee enjoyed being with her family over all other activities. She fully adored her two daughters  and  with the arrival of grandchildren genuinely enjoyed the role of spoiling her grandchildren. She was never one to miss a sporting event, a chance to babysit, school concert, county fair or just the opportunity to hang out with her family at the ranch. She very much enjoyed interacting with her grandchildren in Conversation or any sort of activity, from games to coloring projects. 

Lee loved to plant flowers, dote on her family, and was she obsessed with watching sports on tv, especially Golf! She regularly had various seasonal sporting events on the TV and always had an opinion of the outcome of the game or current events of the sport. 

She is survived by her husband John, Daughter Kara Gomes (Michael) and daughter Lora Howell (Sean) and three Grandchildren Garrett, Grady and Arden and grand dog Chipper. She is also survived by siblings, Teena Zemke, Becky Schuelke, Steve Etherington, George Etherington and Clifford Etherington.

Celebration of life will be held June 22, 2025, Castle Oaks Golf Club, Ione, California 11:30.