Joann Grimes

Joann Grimes, a beautiful red-carpet-ready and intriguingly dynamic woman, a creative and gifted vocalist and pianist, and a generous citizen of Greensboro, North Carolina died peacefully with her daughters by her side following a brief illness on Sunday, September 15, 2024. A celebration of her life and inurnment service will be held on Friday, September 27, 2024, at 3:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church Columbarium, 617 North Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina with The Reverend Dr. Jill Duffield officiating. In the event there is inclement weather, the service will be held in the Sanctuary at the church. Following the service, the family invites you to continue to celebrate Joann and her husband, David Grimes, and their lives at Print Works Bistro, 702 Green Valley Road, Greensboro, North Carolina, where they enjoyed fabulous food, friendships, and lively conversations.

A native of Biscoe, North Carolina, Joann was the daughter of Lydia and Charlie Gaddy. Following high school where she competed in many piano competitions growing her musical and a minor in Music Theory. Joann was President of her class, President of the Alumni Association, and received the Greensboro College Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award. She served on the college’s Board of Trustees and established a scholarship for music students. She continued to refine her musical talents in the Lyric Theater productions in Greensboro and as Minister of Music at First United Methodist Church in Asheboro and St. Francis Episcopal Church in Greensboro. She served on the Board of Directors of the Little Theater and the Euterpe Club and served in the Ladies Auxiliary of the Greensboro Symphony. Early in her career, she was a choral music teacher at Lindley Junior High School. Together, Joann and David received recognition for their support of the Greensboro Music Academy Ivan Battle Society. Joann served on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Music Festival.

Joann partnered with her husband, David, as they used their entrepreneurial gifts to build their business, Potpourri Designs. They enjoyed traveling the world to meet with business associates, artists, and culinary wizards to source and design giftware, cookbooks, and other specialty gift items.

Joann and David moved together as a team to lead philanthropic efforts in Greensboro. They received the 2016 United Way of Greater Greensboro Lifetime Achievement Award. Individually, Joann was one of the founding members of the Tocqueville Women’s Leadership, a society of community impact leaders taking action to support local nonprofit partners to restore hope and deliver solutions to those in need of human services. As a result of this program’s success in Greensboro and their creating a pathway out of poverty, a full-page acknowledgement of the founding members’ #1 Women’s Leadership Giving in America was published in the Wall Street Journal. Another outgrowth of this unique effort led the United Way Worldwide to establish a Women’s Leadership Council to engage women as an emerging and powerful philanthropic force. Joann and David were members of the United Way of Greater Greensboro Million Dollar Roundtable.

Joann and David found great joy serving on the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) Board of Advisors where they established the Joann Grimes Big Event to Fight Cancer honoring Joann’s successful treatment for breast cancer. For 15 years, they organized and produced the bike ride, walk, and run to raise a total of over $3,000,000 for DCI cancer research while biking 50 miles each year as hosts. They were honored with The William W. Shingleton Award for Distinguished Service to the DCI in 1988. Joann and David supported the Salvation Army of Greater Greensboro and enjoyed ringing the bell together for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle initiative at Christmas. The Salvation Army honored them with membership in the William Booth Society. Joann and David actively supported Greensboro Urban Ministry, Greensboro Habitat for Humanity, Greensboro Beautiful, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, and New Directions Ministries that established health clinics and churches in Haiti and India.

Besides Joann’s involvement in the Greensboro community, she and David were entrenched in the culture of the Aspen community for many years where they enjoyed the Aspen Institute, the Society of Fellows, and the Aspen Music Festival. They enjoyed traveling, international bike rides, hiking, skiing, and sharing their gourmet cooking with great friends. While Joann was a private person, she enjoyed striking up conversations with staff and patrons at her favorite restaurants. She loved fashion and was often complimented on the hats she wore out on the town. Joann was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro.

Joann was preceded in death by her beloved David, her dear parents, and her hard-working and fun-loving younger brother, Bob Gaddy. She is survived by her daughters Emil Burns Mitchell Frame (Terry), Trenna Burns Fulle (Bill), Christy Grimes Angle (Steve), Lisa Grimes Deck (Joe), her journalist and musically talented older brother Charlie Gaddy, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Joann’s family gratefully acknowledges the care of Dr. Brad Sherrill and the Oncology team at Cone Health Drawbridge, Dr. William Farr, Nurse Practitioner Mary Prevost, Registered Nurse Joy and the medical team at Greensboro Medical Associates, Susan Collins, MSN and the Authoracare Collective Hospice in Greensboro, BrightStar Care, and the generous personal and professional help of Patty Aiken of Home Instead. Joann’s family deeply thanks Lisa Talley, CPA, P.A., Kimberly Harris, and Andres Hernandez who have been part of this family for many years.

In lieu of flowers, the Grimes family requests memorials to United Way of Greater Greensboro, 1500 Yanceyville Street, Greensboro, NC 27405, unitedwaygso.org; Salvation Army of Greensboro, 100 Freeman Mill Road, Greensboro, NC 27406, southernusa.salvationarmy.org/greensboro; Greensboro Urban Ministry, 305 West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27406, greensborourbanministry.org or First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro, 617 North Elm Street, Greensboro, NC 27401, fpcgreensboro.org

Hanes Lineberry North Elm Chapel is assisting the Grimes family with arrangements. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com