Mother JoAnn Knight Trice

Obituary For Mother JoAnn Knight Trice

At the dawn of a new year, JoAnn Knight Trice was born on Thursday, January 1, 1948, in Pike County, Georgia, to the late Mr. Erastus Duke Knight Jr. and Mrs. Edna Mae Horton Knight. One of four children, JoAnn spent her formative years in the close-knit community of Molena, Georgia. After the loss of her mother at the age of 12 years-old, faith, family, and strength would become the cornerstones shaping her into the woman she would soon become.

JoAnn attended Pike County Consolidated High School, where she was an active and spirited student. She proudly played on the girls' basketball team and was known for her quiet strength and dedication on and off the court - traits that remained hallmarks of her life. As she matriculated through the Pike County School system, JoAnn connected with her peers and fostered lifelong friendships that would carry well into her adult years.

JoAnn was united in marriage to the love of her life, Carl Paul Trice, with whom she shared more than six decades of unwavering devotion, partnership, and love. Together, they built a life rooted in family, commitment, and faith. The couple built their life in the deeply connected community of Lincoln Park. Before relocating to the neighborhood affectionately known as the "Heights". Mrs. Trice devoted 42 years of faithful service to the textile industry, working as a skilled technician at Peerless Mills. At the end of her professional career, JoAnn embraced a season of rest and joy - traveling, remaining active in her church home, and pouring her time and love into her family. She found her greatest delight in moments shared with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Her professional career was not limited to the textile mill; every other Saturday, many could find her in partnership with her husband as they ran a community staple, Smoke Stacks Ribs & BBQ, for over thirty years.

JoAnn's servant heart was deeply rooted at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, where she was a devoted member from childhood. Her commitment extended far beyond the pews; she served faithfully on the usher board and later led the ministry as its president. As a seasoned and respected member of the church family, she continued her legacy of service through the Mother Board Ministry, where Mother Trice was a steady presence and a shining example of dedication, humility, and love.

A light to many, JoAnn shared that light while traveling with the senior citizens club, known as the "Posse". This club traveled across the country together. She enjoyed those friendships and carried those relationships close to her heart. She was also known as a great cook who prepared every meal with love.
With quiet strength after a yearlong battle with stage 4 lung cancer, surrounded by her family, JoAnn was welcomed into the arms of her savior on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Edna Mae Horton Knight, her father, Erastus Duke Knight Sr., her siblings: Robert Earl Horton Jr., Alice Mae Garret, and Leon "Blue/Bubble" Knight, and her grandson, Carl Anterius Trice.

She leaves to cherish her memory her devoted husband, Carl Paul Trice; three children who deeply loved and honored their mother: Valerie L. Trice of Thomaston, Georgia; Carl Anthony (Susan) Trice of Hampton, Georgia; and Bernard (Moise) Trice of Sandy Springs, Georgia. JoAnn was a proud and loving grandmother to four grandchildren, who were known to her as MaMa: Carmen Ellis (Will) Watkins, the late Carl Anterius Trice, Damika Abria Trice, and Thomas (Jalynn) Ellis Jr. Her legacy continues through her eight cherished great-grandchildren, who renamed her their "Toot Toot": Ellis Watkins, Ashton Ellis, Duke Watkins, Deacon Watkins, Noah Parker Ellis, Eli Watkins, Blake Ellis, and Kaleb Ellis. In addition, JoAnn shared a deeply special bond with her nephew Charles Horton, cousin Alice Neal, and her sister-in-law, Gloria Jean (Morris) Hollingshed, and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Livestream Information
The funeral service livestreamed on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/100066432500877/videos/4034935620081593

Copyright Notice
Trice Funeral Home and staff do not own the copyrights to any songs or music played or performed during the service.

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