Washington, DC: Jo Ricks, current chairman of the D.C. Real Estate Commission, a prominent real estate broker for over twenty-five years, a community activist in Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood, and a semi-professional musician for five decades, died October 25 at a hospice facility near her home in Washington. She had fought pancreatic cancer for the past three years.
Jo, born Josephine Holding Ricks in Mount Olive, North Carolina (the Pickle Capital of the South), had lived in Washington for 50 years. Her early professional jobs in Washington included administrative positions with different private sector entities, but she found her calling as a real estate agent, concentrating her efforts in the vibrant Logan Circle section of the city. In 2009, she was appointed by then-Mayor Adrian Fenty to the D.C. Real Estate Commission and a few years later rose to the chairmanship of the Commission. She was an active participant in ARELLO, the national Association of Real Estate License Law Officials and served as its District One Vice President. Jo was an Associate Broker at City Houses, a boutique real estate firm based in DuPont Circle and additionally managed a large number of homes and apartments for foreign service officers stationed abroad.
Long active in the Episcopal Church, Jo at the time of her death served on the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Washington. She was a member of and active participant in St. George’s Episcopal Church in Valley Lee, Maryland, a church which dates its founding to 1638, the oldest continuous Episcopal/Anglican congregation in Maryland.
Jo Ricks was married to Jeffrey Clark, a well-known international development specialist and widely published writer. They married in Washington in 1981 and lived their 37 years together in Logan Circle and at their second home on St. George Island, Maryland. In the waters of the Southern Potomac River, Jo and Jeff spent a lot of time on several different boats they owned until the rigors of boat ownership dawned upon them. They were adventurous travelers, making their way in recent years to Ethiopia, South Africa, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. They toured the battlefields of Normandy in France and Stonehenge in Britain as well as spending considerable time in Key West, Florida. Earlier they made it to Cuba, Morocco, Nova Scotia and Kenya and the usual stops in Britain, France, Italy and Spain.
The musical career of Jo Ricks, known in some circles as The Diva, took a sharp turn in recent years when she suddenly pivoted from singing classic American standard ballads to rock’n’roll. She was a founding member of Hook, Line & Sinker, a St. Mary’s County, Maryland, based band which focused on cover songs of popular rock songs from the 1970s through more current times. Their CD entitled First Take in Reel Time was, by the standards of local semi-professional bands, a big seller and their Southern Maryland concerts tended to be sold out performances. Jo was performing with her rock band as late as mid-September.
Services for Jo Ricks will be held November at Washington’s National Cathedral. A private burial will be conducted later at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Valley Lee, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Jo’s memory to St. George’s Episcopal Church (P.O. Box 30, Valley Lee, Maryland 20692-0030).
Jo’s husband and close family members hope that all of those who have supported her during her illness know of their appreciation and gratitude for that successful attempt to keep her spirits and health elevated during that struggle. Jo did not lose her spirits or zest for life during her epic struggle against cancer. Her radiant smile never dimmed. And her long-time advertising slogan “Not Your Average Jo” proved 100% applicable until her last day.
