Jo Ann Griffith

Jo Ann Griffith, 90, a gentle, faithful, and beloved servant of God, died at The Renaissance Senior Facility in Due West, SC on Saturday, December 21, 2024. Born on September 30, 1934, she was the first of four children of the late Reverend Murray W. Griffith and Willma Miller Griffith in Covington, VA. Surviving is a brother, Dr. M. Dale Griffith, and wife Janet, of Lenoir, NC and a sister, Jane G. Kennedy, and husband Mark, of Flat Rock, NC. Also surviving are six nieces and nephews and ten grandnieces and grandnephews. Ms. Griffith was preceded in death by one sister, Carolyn G. Allen and husband Hillard, of Due West, SC.

Ms. Griffith was a graduate of Erskine College in Due West, SC, with a B.A. degree in Elementary Education. She taught first grade in Charlotte, NC, for one year. She then received a Master of Religious Education degree from Pittsburgh Xenia Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA.

During her childhood, Jo Ann was influenced by missionaries who visited in her home. They planted the seeds of living a life of service to others. Through her early years, she followed her dream of one day serving God in Africa. She turned that dream into reality, and, in 1959, was commissioned to serve in Ethiopia, Africa, by The United Presbyterian Church.

For the next forty-seven years, 1959-2005, Jo Ann lived her dream of service to God and the Ethiopian people. She lived in three different locations while teaching in different schools in Ethiopia. Her first school was the Addis Ababa Girls School in the capital city of Ethiopia. There, she was a teacher and Assistant Director. In early 1970, Jo Ann moved to Dembi Dollo, a town of 25,000 in western Ethiopia. This was home to the Bethel Evangelical Secondary School (BESS) where she served for thirty years. She was a teacher, supervisor of the girl’s dormitory and lived there as the dormitory mother. Jo Ann sought to be their mother, their friend, and their sister in Christ, and always put others first. Also, during her time at BESS, she was known as “the seed lady” who provided and cultivated an entire seed-growing and distribution enterprise which benefited the school, the students, the town, and the region. She planted seeds that nurtured the body, soul, and spirit.

Jo Ann retired to Due West, SC, in 2005. In her humble way, she served her community and numerous organizations she loved. These included the Due West Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Erskine College and Seminary, Cherokee Trail Elementary School and The Lions Club. She was also an active member of the Board of Advisors for Bonclarken Conference Center in Flat Rock, NC. Jo Ann received numerous honors, awards and degrees. Throughout her life, she always remained focused on the work of God and her community. 

In the words of one of her BESS student…”Sweet Mother Misge is a true champion of change and a key figure responsible for producing many agents of change now dispersed across various parts of the world. Her impact is immense and immeasurable. Isaac Newton once said: ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’ Misge is one of those early giants for many of us. She has positively impacted countess lives and her legacy will live on forever. She lived a life worth living!”

In Isaiah 8, it is written: “God said, who will hear my request and who will go to my people?” Jo Ann answered, “Here I am Lord, Send Me.”

A funeral service will be held at 2:00PM, Saturday, January 11, 2025, at the Due West ARP Church. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following: Erskine College, P.O. Box 338, Due West, SC 29639, Bonclarken Conference Center, 500 Pine Dr., Flat Rock, NC 28731, Due West A.R.P. Church, 112 N. Main St., Due West, SC 29639, or Presbyterian Foundation, Attention Operation Dept., 200 E. 12th St., Jeffersonville, IN 47120 - Directed to Ethiopia Education Fund (EEEF). 

A message of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com.

Harris Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Abbeville is assisting the Griffith family.