Jo Ann Hutto Adams, 93, of Spartanburg, SC died peacefully on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center following a brief stay. Born March 31, 1933, in Aiken County, SC, she was the daughter of the late Ustle Evans Hutto and Annie Ready Hutto.

To those that knew her, she went by one of several names depending on the relationship: Miss Adams, Miz Adams, Mrs. Adams, JoJo, Mom, and of course, Jo Ann.

A 1950 graduate of Monetta High School, Jo Ann attended Winthrop College, graduating in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education. She taught in the Florence, Charleston, and Spartanburg County School Districts and earned a Master of Education in 1974 from “USC-S” – the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg – long before it became known as “Upstate.” She retired after 33 years in public education, spending 29 years in Spartanburg School District 7 at Pine Street Elementary School. She anchored the hall across from the cafeteria in Room 6 for almost all those years teaching both First and Second Grades.

Upon retirement from District 7, “Miss Adams” continued to shape young lives and minds, this time teaching kindergarten for another 12 years at Spartanburg Day School until really retiring. She often said one of the reasons she finally retired was because she did not want people to say “wow, you’ve been teaching for a really loooong time” which of course, she had.

Jo Ann was a 65+ year member of First Baptist Church and naturally taught 2nd Grade Sunday School for more than 35 of those years. She was active in Women’s Missionary Union (WMU), Young-at-Heart, Reaching Out to Others (ROTO), and participated in or led numerous bible studies and championed many other faith-based causes she felt called-to. She was a volunteer at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen for more than 20 years and was always looking for ways to give her time and energy to help others.

Jo Ann was an avid bridge player and played in two different bridge clubs on Wednesdays and was always a willing “sub” when another club needed “a fourth.” In addition, she was a 65-year member of the Kate Barry Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) serving in every capacity of Chapter leadership at one time or another. She was also a big-time Clemson Tigers fan and could be found attending most home football games for too many years to recall and more recently cheering on the Tigers from the comfort of her couch.

She was predeceased by her husband of 30 years, Theodore Roosevelt Adams, Jr. in 1986, and by her brothers E.M., Trent, Roy, Bruce, Larry, and sister Joye.

Survivors include her sons and their wives, Theodore Roosevelt Adams, III (Susan) of Duncan, SC and Kyle Hutto Adams (Gaby) of Lexington, SC; four grandchildren, Alexandra Adams Aiken (Jeffery) of Duncan, SC, Alison Elizabeth Adams of Greenville, SC, Emily Adams Miller (Colin) of Washington, DC, and Caroline Adams Downs (Scott) of Charlotte, NC; four great-grandchildren, Addaley Grace Aiken, Ethan Jeffery Aiken, Sutton Marie Downs and Merritt Ann Downs, and her sister Shirley Hutto Padgett of Batesburg, SC.

Services will be held Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Floyd’s Greenlawn Chapel, 2075 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC. Visitation will be from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. with funeral to follow at 1:00 p.m. in the chapel. Interment to follow immediately thereafter at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 1300 Fernwood-Glendale Road, Spartanburg.

She leaves a legacy of faith, family, and education. It is difficult to comprehend how many children walked through the doors of her classrooms and in and out of her life over the years. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Tamassee DAR School for children in Tamassee, SC.