Jo Sivewright
Jo Sivewright
Dec. 31, 1931 – March 15, 2022
Josephine “Jo” Lampton Sivewright was born in Tylertown Dec. 21, 1931, to Samuel B. and Hilen C. Lampton. She grew up in Tylertown and then went to Millsaps College in Jackson where her brother, sister, father and many aunts and uncles had gone before her.
She majored in English and enjoyed singing with the Millsaps Singers. After Millsaps she went to Duke University’s Divinity School where she attained a graduate degree in christian education. She went to Rock Hill, SC, to work for a Methodist Church. There, she found her husband to be, Al Sivewright. They got married in Rock Hill on Sept. 27, 1958, and moved around the southeast as Al worked as a consultant.
They settled in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, and they had three children. She was a volunteer including working as a school crossing guard and bell choir director.
As the nest was emptying, she went back to work in the church office at Westminster Presbyterian Church. She served as the financial manager but also reveled in being the middle of the social action at the church. She served in that capacity for 10 years.
She was a constant learner throughout life and spent 28 years going to Furman University’s OLLI program. She took courses in literature, algebra, music, history, theology and science.
In 2005, Al was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and she was his caregiver until his death in April 2007. After his death, she joined a ukulele group. They practiced every week and soon were performing regularly at hospitals, churches, bars, retirement homes, and hotels. She was an avid reader.
She was preceded in death by her husband Alexander M. Sivewright.
Survivors are her sister Elizabeth Ann Powell, her children, their spouses and her grandchildren, Marjory S. Morford, Mark Morford, Samuel A. Sivewright, Ledi S. Trutna, Mark Trutna, Hunter Morford, Carson Morford, and Courtney Trutna Paley.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial gifts to Westminster Presbyterian Church, https://wpc-online.org/ or Gateway House, https://gateway-sc.org/.
A memorial service celebrating her life will be on April 2, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Thomas McAfee Funeral Home of Greenville, SC, is in charge of the arrangemennts.
