Josephine Hornsby Groce

The memorial service for Josephine Hornsby Groce, 86, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, 530 St. Andrews Road, Columbia, SC 29210. The Reverend Jana L. Creighton will officiate. Inurnment will be held at a later date at Bush River Memorial Gardens. Josephine was born in Columbia, SC, on December 7, 1936, and departed this earthly life on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. She was the daughter of the late Mable Cheek and Thomas W. Hornsby. Mrs. Groce was a proud graduate of Dreher High School and was raised in the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia. She later became an active member of Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church. Jo, as she was known, had retired from the USDA in Columbia, where she served as the human resources director. Jo was an avid bridge player, reader, traveler, and cat lover. She was a member of a bridge club, a book club, and traveled in Europe. Mrs. Groce is survived by her son James A. “Jimmy” Hopkins, step-daughter, Mary Beth Smith (Charles) and step-son Vance Groce (fiancé Leslie). She is also survived by Vance’s daughters Sarah and Juliana, and son, Bryan; and nephews, Gregg Hornsby (Donna) and Chad Hornsby (Andrea). Jo was preceded in death by her husband, William G. Groce; her step-son, Roland Groce; her brother, Thomas W. Hornsby, Jr.; and her nephew Glenn Hornsby (Erica). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church, Humane Society of the US (https://secured.humanesociety.org or 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037), Doctors Without Borders USA (https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org or Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030), Smile Train https://donate.smiletrain.org or P.O. Box 96231, Washington, DC 20090-6231), or Orbis International (www.orbis.org or 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, Ste 8, New York City, NY 10017).