Jo Hales Tunstall

Nancy Jo Hales Tunstall, known to all as Jo, died peacefully on October 12, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at the age of 86.

Jo was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to George Jefferson Hales and Mildred Moore Wilhelm, and grew up in Rocky River, Ohio, with her older sister, Patti. She attended Northwestern University, where she met the love of her life, Dan Tunstall, who worked in her sorority’s kitchen and won her heart by saving her extra desserts. They married in 1963 and joined the Peace Corps, spending the next two years serving in Malaysia. Jo taught high school English and, finding the school had no library, raised funds for books and founded one, serving as its first librarian.

Jo and Dan then moved to New York, where Jo worked as a book editor. A devoted lover of books with perfect grammar, she delighted in working with authors to help their voices shine and make their writing clear and accessible to readers. The couple later settled in Washington, D.C., where they started a family. After the birth of their second daughter, Jo devoted herself to raising her children and nurturing their close, loving family. Always stylish and put together, Jo sewed and knitted clothing for her daughters, volunteered at their schools, and made their home a warm and welcoming place for friends and family. Her delicious cooking, especially her strawberry-frosted cupcakes, are still remembered fondly.

When her daughters finished high school, Jo returned to publishing as an editor in the children’s book department at National Geographic. She loved gardening, fashion, and interior design, and later became an amateur archaeologist. She volunteered at a number of archaeological sites, returning most often to work at Montpelier, the historic Virginia home of President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison.

Jo was elated to welcome three grandchildren to the world, instilling in them her love of reading. After Jo and Dan retired, they moved to Chapel Hill to be closer to their daughters. Jo was clever, funny, and a sharp, critical thinker. In later years she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which progressed slowly and heartbreakingly over more than a decade.

Jo is survived by her devoted husband of 63 years, Daniel Bigelow Tunstall; her daughters, Alexandra Catherine Tunstall (David Thomas Kuhar) and Rebecca Hales Goldsmith (Jason Howard Goldsmith); her grandchildren, Thorn Kuhar, Jacob Tunstall Kuhar, and Cayla Hales Goldsmith; and her sister, Patricia Hales Laidlaw and stepsister, Marilyn Redfield. She was preceded in death by her parents and stepsister, Barbara Redfield Sloat.

A memorial service will be held on November 7 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In Jo’s memory, donations can be made to Montpelier to support its historic preservation. https://www.montpelier.org/ways-to-give/