Josephine Houser

NORTH LIMA - A prayer service will be held on Monday at 9:15 a.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Boardman-Canfield Chapel, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Charles Church in Boardman for Mrs. Josephine Houser, 87, who died Tuesday morning at Hospice House.

She was born in Campbell, on March 19, 1931, the feast day of St. Joseph, a daughter of the late Enrico and Maria (DiTullio) Frazzini.

Josephine was a graduate of Youngstown College and graduated from Catholic University with her master’s degree in Social Work.

She had a long career as a Marriage and Family Therapist, retiring in 1993, from Albaugh and Houser Marriage and Family Therapists.

Josephine was active in many professional organizations and served as president of the Ohio Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. She also served for 17 years on the Board of Trustees for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

Josephine was a devout Catholic and an active member of St. Charles Church, where she served as Eucharistic Minister and helped to found the Parish Bereavement Ministry.

In 2000, Josephine was named Lady of The Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II, a pontifical award given in recognition of her long and exceptional dedicated service to the Church and the community. It is the highest honor a Catholic lay person can receive.

She married William G. Houser on Sept. 3, 1955, and he preceded her in death, Aug. 2, 1994.

Josephine is survived by her two sons, Joseph (Nancy) Houser of Boardman and William A. (Jennifer) Houser of Bellefontaine; two daughters, Mary Beth (RobertMcCracken) Houser of Canfield and Monica (Walter) Phillips of Boardman; nine grandchildren, Jennifer, Christa, and Jessica Houser, Elizabeth (Kirkland) Lawrence, Emma and Will Engler, Madeline, William S., and Alexander Houser; and two great-grandchildren, Elodie and Emerson Lawrence.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Judge William G. Houser; three brothers, Sylvester, Nazarene, and Dominic; and two sisters, Angeline Miller and Carmel Todessa.

The family would like to thank her niece and goddaughter, Rose Miller, for her kindness and care for “Aunt Josie.”

Friends and family may call on Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Boardman-Canfield Chapel.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Josephine to the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County or to the YSU Foundation for the Houser/DeCrane Scholarship.