Joann "Jody" Gilliam Olliff

Joann Gilliam Olliff (Jody) was a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend who was loved by all. She wrote in a letter to her children, “I inherited a sense of joyousness from my family I consider a gift, an ability to enjoy every event like a child, a sense of wonder, and a feeling that everything will be alright”. Jody was joyous, the light in the room with her big smile and her positive attitude. She was also known to give the best advice in the most endearing way. Her lifelong service was in education, first as a teacher and then primarily as a media specialist during her 30 years of service in Richmond County, Ga. 

Born on September 1, 1939, in Asheville, NC., the longtime Richmond County resident died on January 21, 2025. A graduate of the 1957 class of Enka High School and the 1961 class of Furman University. She met her future husband, Joe Forrest Olliff, at Furman and they were married for over 65 years. After graduating from Furman with a BA in Sociology, Joe and Jody moved to Augusta, Ga., where they continued raising their family, and she began her career in education. She obtained her Master in Education (1973) from the University of Georgia. 

Jody began teaching at Richmond Academy in 1962 for several years. She then served as media specialist for over 20 years at Sego Middle School and a few years at Butler High School. While a media specialist at Sego, she was honored as Outstanding Media Specialist in Georgia. From 1991-1994, she served as the District Coordinator of Educational Media and Technology for Richmond County Schools. 

After retirement, she was always busy doing the things she loved like walking, volunteering, decorating her home, entertaining, traveling, spending time at their Hilton Head condo, and summers in her childhood home in Asheville which she always held dear to her heart. Jody always wanted a big family and she certainly had one, and she and Joe always prioritized spending time with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Joe and Jody were longtime members of First Baptist Church of Augusta, Ga., and were active in Sunday School. 

Jody was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Forrest Olliff, Jr., her parents, Margaret Lucy Gilliam and James Noland Gilliam, and her sister, Jimmie Margaret Gilliam. She is survived by her daughters, Jocena Olliff Avery (Mark) of Locust Grove, GA, and LeAnn Olliff Kiser (Jimmy) of Greenville, SC, and her son, Joe Forrest Olliff III (Anna) of Augusta, GA. She leaves nine grandchildren, Meg Royston (Mark), Anna Baugher (Will), Michael Avery (Tana), Jodi Brock (Philip), Jamie Long (Travis), Forrest Olliff, Lucy Olliff, Carson Olliff (Giuliana), Kelly Kiser, and nine great-grandchildren, her sister-in-law, Geri Grossman, nieces, Marea Jill Leavitt (Daniel), and Jennifer Chalk (Aiden). 

The family would like to thank Cozy Houston, Regency Hospice Care, and Augusta Gardens Memory Care for their excellent care.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Storey Chapel at First Baptist Church, 3500 Walton Way Ext, Augusta, GA 30909, on February 8th, with Senior Pastor, Will Dyer, at 2:00 pm. Visitation will be held at 1:00 pm service in the atrium hallway outside the chapel. Memorial contributions can be sent to First Baptist Church, 3500 Walton Way Ext, Augusta, GA 30909, in memory of Jody Olliff.