Jo Pryor Allman, born December 1st, 1928, was the youngest of the twelve children of William and Edna Huntley Pryor. Lovingly and appropriately named after Jo March of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, she grew up on a mountain farm in the Middlefork Community near Bat Cave, NC. There she was taught to love the Lord, her neighbor, and to appreciate the land and its bounty. Jo graduated from Western Carolina University in 1948 where she met her beloved husband Carl Edwin Allman Jr. After they wed, Jo and Ed both taught school until moving to Chapel Hill for Ed to attend law school at UNC.

Upon Ed’s graduation from law school in 1962, Jo and Ed, with their four children, moved to Winston-Salem where Ed practiced law and both he and Jo became active and devoted lifelong members of First Baptist Church. Jo was elected one of the Church’s first female deacons, and demonstrating an endless resolve of patience and love, she delighted in teaching the two-year-old Sunday School class for many years. Proud parents and fervent believers in the importance of education, Jo and Ed served as the first co-chairs of the Wake Forest University Parents Council, alongside President and First Lady Gerald and Betty Ford.

Next to entertaining her grandchildren, who found her to be quite simply the perfect grandmother, Jo’s favorite activity was gardening. A certified Master Gardener, she enjoyed cultivating and sharing her large backyard, with both a proper English rose garden and two meticulously planted vegetable gardens. With her impressive knowledge of horticulture and ornithology, she created a colorful and educational playground and a haven for wildlife.

While Jo loved her church, her yard, classical music, and seemingly every small child she met, her family was her greatest delight. She was loved and adored by each child, grandchild, great-grandchild, and in-law. Her remarkable sewing creations, smocked baby dresses, quilts, and Halloween costumes, tenderly sewn for family little ones are treasured works of art.

Jo, referred to as G-Jo and Mama Jo by her family, was the host of countless joyful holiday gatherings at her home on Hyde Avenue. Family and friends alike felt warm and welcome at her large dining room table, always beautifully set and laden with flowers and comfort food (though after Ed’s heart disease, rarely ever with enough salt.)

After moving to Salemtowne in 2015, Jo continued gardening, entertaining family, and making new friends among residents and staff. She became a “volunteer landscaper” and was appreciative to have a space to continue to cultivate beautiful flowers. She was beloved at Salemtowne and beyond for her generous spirit and genuine friendship. She listened and remembered and cared, and treated everyone with respect. More than anything else, Jo was kind. Simply kind.

Jo’s recipes fill our kitchens, her gardening advice (and tools!) boost our gardens, but what matters most is what she taught us about life and pure generosity of spirit. And for that we are eternally grateful.

Jo was preceded in death by her beloved husband Ed in 1991. She is survived by her children, Celia (Steve) Roady, Eddie (Deb) Allman, Connie (Bill) Hawkins, Joe (Martha) Allman, her six grandchildren, Laura Capito, Peter Roady, Katie Riley, Andrew Hawkins, Bailey Allman, Ella Allman and her nine great grandchildren – all very dear.

The Allman family is immeasurably grateful to her caregivers at Salemtowne’s Garden Court, especially Jennifer Mabe, Daniel Rainey, and Peggy Thomas who were her friends to the end, as well as the comforting staff of Trellis. 

In lieu of flowers, Jo requested donations be made to The Shalom Project, First Baptist Church on Fifth St., or the Salemtowne Residents Assistance Fund.

A celebration of Jo’s life will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 19th, 2024 at the Salemtowne Retirement Community Saal, 190 Moravian Way Dr, Winston-Salem, NC.