Jo Anne Hall Ritchie

JoAnne lived a life marked by deep faith, quiet strength, adventure, and excessive love. Born in Salisbury, she attended Boyden High School and graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College, where she (L-R’s May Queen) met the love of her life (and football player) Ross Ritchie. They married in 1955, and together they filled their home with laughter, beauty, and children.

She often talked about her “charmed” life as one that she did not deserve, but she created that same charmed life for her own children. She taught them to treat others with compassion, empathy, and grace, giving them a clear moral compass, pointing toward restorative justice. She taught them that though life was often not fair, it was certainly MORE fair for them than it was for most, and they had a responsibility to try to make it that way for other people. She taught that every life is as valuable as every other life, but it’s hard to see that value without relationship.

“Nan” was famously known by her grandchildren as “the boss of this,” and she loved having her family in her orbit, always. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were a source of pride and joy, and she cherished the time she spent with them, creating memories that will always be treasured.

Whenever she wasn’t spending time with family, you could find her deep in genuine curiosity… the kind that is satisfied by reading a good story, watching PBS, or observing and researching the various birds on her birdfeeders. It would be hard to count the generations of birds she “raised” and enjoyed, keeping lists of new arrivals to share with friends and family.

She taught her family to reuse and repair things, and that nothing is ever lost for good. She shared with them a love of creating and building things with their own hands, passing on the sewing gene to some, her green thumb and love of art to others, and a love of music to all. She could be heard humming most of the time. And you may have seen the 8-foot-tall avocado tree in her apartment, grown from a pit!

She made wonderful boiled peanuts, banana pudding, red rice, pickled okra & beans, sauerkraut, and red velvet cake. But there wasn’t much that beat her chocolate pound cake with chocolate glaze.

JoAnne loved travelling, especially with her husband, her sister, and brother. They embraced new cultures and experiences, planning their next trips together, as this was half the fun. No adventure was too big. A favorite was the “great excursion of 2000” to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, when they somehow managed to wrangle their five grown children for the trip of a lifetime, including the Passion Play in Oberammergau. But no matter how great the journey was, she was always happy to get back home. There was no place she would rather be than on the deck of her house on Lake Murray, sipping a cup of perfectly hot coffee in the morning, or a Nantini (as we called her favorite cocktail) in the afternoon, keeping an eye on the many lake turtles that sunned on her weeping willow “turtle tree.” She loved spending time with her Lake Murray neighbors and Chapin, SC friends.

JoAnne discovered she could live independently and do things she never imagined. She was always learning and often surprised herself with her own open-mindedness. She had her own ideas about how to make the world a better place, and she did just that. She easily made new friends and felt that every person she met was connected in some way and had a story to share. When she moved back to Winston almost 4 years ago, she enjoyed re-establishing old friendships and making new ones at Homestead Hills. She embodied the love of Christ in practical, everyday ways and taught her family the same through her actions.

Her faith was strong. She 100% believed what she believed, but she didn’t judge or question those who did not believe exactly like she did. In her own words, “If everyone was just like me, there would be way too many of me.” She knew that God does not demand that we all agree. God only asks that we love one another well. And she was confident that she and Ross would be together again.

Even when she was exhausted, JoAnne’s sense of humor and sparkle never left her. A few months ago, when asked if she could have anything, what would she wish for, she said, “How could I possibly ask for more than I have?” She was never looking for a better party. She knew this was the party. In the end, all she wanted was to be with those she loved, sharing life.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Dr. Clarence Ross Ritchie, Jr., her parents, Margie Belle and Preston Ledford Hall, her brothers Robert (Peggy) and William (Harriet, Ann), and brother-in-law Ernie Elsasser. She is survived by her five children Janice Barbee (Sam), Ross Ritchie (Yvonne), Joanna Britt (Cliff), Katie Lippard (Jimmy), and Cammie Berger (Pat); grandchildren Drew (Colleen) & Anna Kathryn Vail (Matt), Ryenne & Duncan Ritchie, Zach, Max, Luna (Forest) & Josie Britt, Kirk, Keenan (Erica), Anderson, Jacob and Ross (Paige) Lippard, Grant & Preston Berger, five great-grandchildren: Camden, Eli, Madi, Kole, and Alden, with 2 more on the way. She is also survived by her sister Mary Kay Elsasser and her brother Preston Hall (Judy) and many beloved nieces and nephews. Special thanks to Piedmont Home Health caregivers: Jasmine, Brittany, Tamiya, Carol, and Tereasa, and to Mindy at Trellis for their kindness and compassion.

The immediate family will gather for a private memorial service. They invite friends to join them for a celebration of life gathering at 3:00 pm on Sunday, May 10, 2026, in the Family Life Center at Augsburg Lutheran Church. Please use the Pilot View Street entrance, and bring a story if you’d like to share.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to greeNest of Winston-Salem (www.greenestws.org), Lutheran Services Carolinas (www.lscarolinas.net), Matthew2540 (www.Matthew2540.net), or Novus Way Ministries (www.novusway.org).