Josephine "Jo" Willis Adams

August 30, 1916 - July 11, 2013

Josephine “Jo” Willis Adams of Bristol, Virginia passed through Heaven’s Gates on Thursday, July 11, 2013 at Wellmont Hospice House in Bristol, Tennessee. She was born on August 30, 1916 in Stonega, VA, the oldest of nine children to the late Harrison and Verta Lawson Willis. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Sidney Adams; three sisters, Inez Nemeth of Niagara Falls, NY, Ella Countiss of Radford, VA, and Margaret Clark of Camden, AR; and a brother, Paul Willis of Roanoke, VA. Left behind to cherish the wonderful memories of their mother are her three sons and their families, Tom (Ida) Adams; grandson, Mark (April) Adams and great grandsons, Tanner and Blake Adams, all of Abingdon, VA; grandson, Eric Adams; and great grandchildren, Brandon and Tiffany Adams all of Charlotte, NC; son, Jim (Linda) Adams of Jacksonville, FL; grandson, Danny (Angela) Adams and great grandson, Luke, all of St. Johns, FL; granddaughter, Julie (Brian) Hoffman and great grandson, Josiah, all of Jacksonville, FL; son, Don (Cina) Adams; and grandson, Adrian Adams, all of Abingdon, VA; granddaughter, Melanie Adams of Johnson City, TN; granddaughter, Amy (Adam) Stein; and great granddaughters, Sophie and Emmy Stein all of Mt. Juliet, TN; and grandson, Bo (Jennifer) Adams; great grandchildren, Tate and Rowan Adams, all of Decatur, GA. Surviving sisters are, Jeanette Bishop of Broadway, NC and Roberta Wooten of Hot Springs, AR; brothers, Bill (Opal) Willis of Heavener, OK and and Robert (Roxie) Willis of Battle Creek, MI; and several nieces and nephews. Jo grew up in a large but very close knit family. This carried over throughout her life as she so enjoyed the annual Willis family reunions. She loved books and enjoyed needle work, producing many examples of her artistic talent in quilting, knitting, crocheting, and needle point. She was a long time resident of Norton, VA where she was a charter member and Sunday School teacher at East Park Avenue Baptist Church. After moving to Bristol in 1979, she was a faithful member of Midway Baptist Church. The family would like to extend a special thanks to her best friend, Ruby Glover, her wonderful neighbors, Sam and Cathy Stevenson, and care givers, Janet Blevins and Melanie Adams, as well as her church family for all of their support. A memorial service will be conducted Saturday, July 13, 2013 at 7:00 P.M. at Midway Baptist Church in Bristol, VA with Rev. Dexter Terry officiating. The family will receive friends from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Saturday prior to the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be sent to Midway Baptist Church, 21318 Old Dominion Road, Bristol, VA 24202. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.garrettfuneralhome.com. Mrs. Adams and her family are in the care of Garrett Funeral Home, 203 N. Shady Ave., Damascus, VA 24236, ph.#: 276-475-3631.