Jo Ralene Garrison

Jo Ralene Garrison, 90, of Carmel, IN, passed away on July 29, 2026, following a short illness. She was the daughter of Ray and Kathleen Hatch, and the earliest years of her childhood were spent in Flora, IN.

Several years each followed in Marion, Kokomo, and then Indianapolis and the surrounding area. She graduated from Kokomo High School and then went on to the Patricia Stevens Modeling School and Agency in Chicago.

She enjoyed a wide range of dance involvements during her youth. She was particularly fond of ballet and found herself in both student and teacher roles. Later, her modeling and fashion sense led to a wide range of opportunities, including modeling at the LS Ayres tea-room in Indianapolis.

Jo served as the first receptionist at Chrysler’s then-new Transmission Plant in Kokomo. It is there that she met and married William K. Miller. Their family grew to include a daughter and a son.

Some years later, finding herself single again, she tackled the world of real estate and was quite successful in selling premium residential properties, and became a licensed broker. During that era, she met and married William E. Garrison, enlarging her role substantially by becoming stepmother to his three children. The families blended readily and flourished under her wise and gentle mothering.

She enjoyed a number of interests, including playing tennis, but always cherished most the family and friends who shared those interests with her. She remained vitally interested in current events and politics and was an avid reader. Jo’s spunky personality along with her focus on joy, kindness, and laughing whenever possible won her many friends.

She is survived by her daughter, Lynne Miller, of Carmel; son, Thomas K. Miller, of Indianapolis; stepchildren Andy Garrison of Venice, Florida; Gail Blair of Oceanside, California; and David Garrison of Las Vegas, Nevada; her brother, Richard Hatch of Fort Wayne, IN; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents and both husbands.

There will be no public services. Neptune Society has been entrusted with cremation arrangements.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at: https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/indianapolis-in/jo-garrison-12986882