February 5, 2026, 92, North Myrtle Beach, SC – Josephine (Jo) Ballance Olive Jennette, 92, passed away at Legacy at North Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina on Thursday, February 5, 2026. She was born in Wilson County, NC on September 7, 1933 to the late Joseph Ballance and Laurrie Mozingo Ballance. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, James “Bunk” Olive; husband, Blaney Jennette; son, Bruce Olive; brother, Clarence Greene; and sister, Shelby Jean Olive.
When she was young, they moved to a farm, where she liked to tell everyone, she was her daddy’s “boy” and worked beside him on the farm. She was a lifetime member of Tee’s Chapel Freewill Baptist Church in Smithfield, NC where she taught the teenagers Sunday School class for many years and participated in Ladies auxiliary.
Josephine is survived by her daughter, Rosalin Robinson (Dudley) of Myrtle Beach, SC; son, Joseph (Joey) Olive (Rhonda) of Loris, SC; grandchildren, Heather Robinson Price (Tye), Michael Robinson (Kat), Justin Olive (Nicole), and Lesley Roldan (Keanue); great grandchildren, Jackson Price, Emma Price, Colton Olive, Chetan Soni, Carter Robinson, James Robinson, Caroline Robinson; sister, Mary Ellen McCarson of Monroe, NC;
She also leaves behind beloved nieces and nephews, her, lifetime best friend, Jewel Autry, and a host of other people who loved her dearly.
Our mama was a humble person and lived by the words, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. She worked hard all of her life, first on the farm, then in the textile industry. When she was 60 years old, the plant where she was working closed, so she decided to get her GED and then go to college. She got a job as an activities coordinator at a care facility working on the Alzheimer’s unit. She loved her time there and all the residents and their families, and went above and beyond her job description, finding out from the families what they enjoyed doing before having to go into memory care. Things such as digging up a patch of grass to make an area where those that loved to garden could dig in the dirt and plant flowers. One of the resident’s husbands told her he had never seen his wife without her makeup in all their years together, so she started going into work early, applying this lady’s makeup and the lady would smile when her husband visited every day.
Her greatest wish was that she would never lose her memory or herself, but sadly she had dementia the last few years of her life. While she lost her short-term memory first, it progressed as she got older. Thankfully, she always knew her children, right up to her last day, a true blessing for us.
She loved working in her yard, which was beautiful, her vegetable garden, which was plentiful, and dancing. She and her husband Blaney danced several times a week and it was a joy to see them on the dance floor, waltzing, doing the two-step, and everything in between. But her greatest love of all was her family.
We would like to thank everyone who faithfully came to visit her, send her cards, and call her, even after she moved to South Carolina to be near her children. A very special thank you to all the employees at The Legacy in Little River South Carolina. She was known as Mrs. Jo or Mama Jo by them, and they not only cared for her, but they also loved her dearly. Joey and I would also like to thank our ministers and friends at First Methodist Church Myrtle Beach for visiting, sending cards, and always including mama at special times of the year. Special thanks also to her Hospice nurse, Jen and Hospice aide, Deanna. You made the last weeks so much better for our mama and for us.
The Memorial Service will be held at Tee’s Chapel FWB Church, 6439 Brogden Road, Smithfield, NC on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 2:00 pm with the Reverend Dennis Pollock officiating.
The family will receive friends from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm at Tee’s Chapel FWB Church.
Although flowers are welcome, the family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Tee’s Chapel FWB Church, 6439 Brogden Road, Smithfield, NC 27577 or to Amedisys Hospice, 402 Singleton Ridge Road, Suite C, Conway, SC 29526 to provide funds for those that do not have resources to provide care that they require.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.caseyfh.com.
Casey Funeral Home and Cremations is honored to serve the family.
