Miss Joe,

You are gone home to be with the Lord.You will be sadly missed.

To Mas Dolphie my deepest sympathy on the loss of your mother, Miss Joe was a great woman! she was always so kind!! rest in peace Miss Joe, Mas Bandy your husband has been waiting for you.

Rest inpeace aunt Jo. You were a wonderful aunt.

Love Hyo and family in New York

Our beloved Aunt Jo was the salt of the earth and we shall miss her until we see her again in God's Kingdom. "'Ol Pin," you're finally back with your beloved "Uncle Bandy," Merville, your beloved sisters, brothers, parents....

Rest in peace, sweet aunt.

With all our love,

Mar, Lorna and Kay.

my condolences to all of the family. she was a kind woman, who always had something nice to say. rest in peace.

Rest in peace Miss Joe dont forget you when i was a kid going to chruch.

I am very sad to hear Miss Joe has passed on but very very happy to have experienced her love, care and guidance. She was like a mother and aunt to me when I was child. I remember having a very very bad fever around age four or five and seeing a very concerned look on the face of Miss Joe and Nanni(Miss Attily Ebanks) almost as if I might die. Well those two ladies (who were also best friends)put there heads together and made a tea of some kind and in a few days I was good to go (Many Many Many thanks). Glad that I had the opportunity to see her and Sta Berry when we came home in 2007 to lay Mom (Genette Stephenson) to rest. So much Love and Respect to you Miss Joe.
Thank you always
Nigel.S

I AM THOROUGHLY SORRY TO HEAR THAT THE LOVING AND COMPASSIONATE MS. JOE HAS PASSED ON, BUT VERY HAPPY THAT SHE HAS GONE TO TAKE HER PLACE THE LORD MADE FOR HER. I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW HER WELL BUT WITH THE GOOD THINGS PEOPLE ARE SAYING SHE MUST HAVE BEEN A DISCIPLINARIAN TO ALOT OF PERSONS. I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND MY DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO UNCLE DOLPHIE,IRA,CURTIS AND ALL THE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS WHO ARE AT THIS TIME WEEPING THE LOSS OF THEIR DEAR MOTHER, GRAND-MOTHER, GREAT-GRANDMOTHER,SISTER,AUNT, GRAND-AUNT, MOTHER-IN-LAW AND FRIEND. BE STRONG BECAUSE SHE HAS GONE TO BE WITH HER LORD AND SAVIOUR. MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE.

By accident I came across Miss Joe's death on the internet by reading someone's birthday message.
I then decided I would open an appropriate posting because I wanted it right up front.
Our love for Miss Joe one of the most loved person (we) had ever known. She was more than a friend to me and my siblings, she was more like a second mother.
She was one of our mother's best friend and there was nothing too big or too small that would not change hands between those two especially food stuff,fish, bammy,grains etc,etc.
She would walk in the midday sun to bring it to mom and, mom would do the same for her.

I would say this much......Miss Joe was there for me holding my hands on two separate occasions.... the birth of two of my children....Sophia and Nicola.She was also there for my beloved sister Jean on the birth of her son Nigel.

She knew her Christmas cards with gifts included were always,always on their way.....hand delivered or by mail.
Miss Joe knew our love for her was genuine and that's all that matters.
May her sweet soul rest in peace.


Condolences from Miss Atilly's children...................... Murnel,Pansy,Kingsley,Hesslyn and Clarett.

I am saddened to hear of the passing of my aunt JOE.
I personally think that she is so much happier now as she was suffering, she deteriorated since the passing of Granny BERRY and always said she wanted to go home to be with her.Aunty your dream has come true. Aunt JOE you are gone but i am sure you will never be forgotten. It hurts me deeply to know that when i come home i won't see either you or Granny Berry sitting on the verandah. I loved you in life,i love you in death. Sleep on beloved.

Nadine (London)

To Dolphie and the rest of family, my deepest sympathy goes out to you all on the passing of Granny Joe. Dolphie, please cherish the good times you had with her, as I know you did. It was joy for us as children to here you say you are going to look for her as we would jump in the car barefooted to go and see her, for what?GOODIES of all sorts, so, cheer up boy she's in a better place, so lets give thanks for her life well spent. See you all soon.

Doreen Hamilton-Sullivan

condolence goes out to dolphie and the rest of the family on the passing of aunt joe may the lord be with all her family and keep on cherish them and joe was a very nice person she will always be miss by her friends and family. may aunt joe soul rest in peace from yvonne,donald,courtney and the rest of the family

EXCERPTS FROM THE EULOGY, DELIVERED AT HER FUNERAL SERVICE - SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2009


Speak of Aunt Jo and it seems thousands of images spring to mind: she’s smiling, she’s laughing; she’s handing out a tasty treat to a hungry (or greedy) child, or briskly walking and waving hello to smiling neighbours and friends… Ma Lucy or Maas Saabut, Miss Imey or Maas Chule; or briskly walking up that huge hill to spend some time with her dearest friend, Tilly.

And that’s just how she was: no pretence; just a small bundle of love and joy that radiated out to all she touched.

And, as she leaves, there is no doubt about her legacy. It is one of enduring love that will never cease.

But where did it start for this dear soul?

It was on August 12, 1912 that a beautiful girl was born to Medora Deleon Swaby and her husband, Frederick Swaby in Billy’s Bay.

They named her Rosetta; but we know her best as Aunt Jo… Ole Pin… or simply, Pin. Pin; because she was so thin!

She was not so thin however to escape the attention of that handsome young fellow, Laurence, “Bandy” Ebanks!

And so it was that one fine day, as this carefree lass skipped along a country path he stepped forth and boldly proclaimed:

“I will only let you pass if you give me a kiss!”

Well, she was on a mission and couldn’t stop long; so one quick kiss and his heart was gone!

She lived through a century and saw first-hand, the country’s ups and downs; and she had more than a few of her own.

Her mother died young and that she mourned, but she got to share her life and love with a step mother whom she took as her own.

More pain was to follow as sisters and brothers were lost, but these only strengthened her love for her surviving siblings and her nieces and nephews all.

She received with joy six children of her own, but with pain she watched as three died soon. They were Gladys, Lester and Merville.

Three boys survived to adulthood: Curtis, Ira and Dolphie.

The passing of her sisters, Gladys and Margaret early in their lives, brought new grief but further opened her heart to embrace the children they left behind.

She loved us all, her nieces and nephews, with a passion that could never be dimmed.

She was there when we were born and sat up with our parents when we were ill; and sought home remedies passed on through time from wise ancestors from the distant past.

And our worries too were hers; no matter how small they were; or no matter how large they loomed.

For that was Aunt Jo – rich with love, enough for all.

She did not have much else, but that was okay, because for us as children it didn’t take much; just a piece of sugar head, or bun and butter or those juicy mangoes from New Savannah!

Her joy was increased, of course, when her own grandchildren – Dane and Dionne - came along.

She was so special that, as a little boy, Ver offered that when he became an angel he would give her one of his wings to ensure that she entered heaven too.

She saw the humour in that offer, and gently pointed out that with one wing each neither of them would get off the ground; so she would have to do her very best to get her own!

Well, I suspect you will agree that Ver’s long ago offer is not likely to be necessary; because we are gathered to say farewell to one of heaven’s newest angels- our own Aunt Jo; our own sweet Pin.

It took me a very long time to say goodby to a wonderful aunt. To aunt Joe (Pin) one of the kindes, sweetest, loving and caring aunt that I could ever ask for. You were the first to let me taste ketchup. I am not ashamed to say this. I remembered clearly like it was yesterday when we were sitting on the rocks next to the old kitchen.You came out and said everybody hold out their hands and you pour ketchup into our hands. It was the sweetest thing I ever taste. I started my life very young "babe having babe" Troy was vomiting I could not get to the basinpan on time and my sweet aunt Joe put both hands out and catch the vomit I did not know what to do so I started crying ,like I am doing now.Aunt Joe put her arms around me and said dont cry dont forget you have aunt Joe. Now I started laughing because I can hear Pa saying "God Ber yo dont member me anymore Joe com yo get company". Rest in the arms of God my sweet aunt.

I do not know Aunt Joe, but from what is written about her I have to add something. It is wonderful when others can say so much kind words about a deceased. We need more people like her. He kindness has allowed her to live this long. Being kind made her happy so she did not have stress. We all should try to live by her example. Sleep on and take your rest. For the rest of the day I will keep smiling and be kind to those I meet.

Words cannot express how much we as a community, family will miss Aunt Jo. I think Earl summed her life in the best way he could. Aunt Jo, Aunt Berry and Aunt Maize were very special to our dad Rennie Davis. He saw himself as their guardian angel. The one who must protect them at all cost. They too seemed bent on protecting him even more but he being the younger one would not have it. If he was healthy or sick he would find them and vice versa. The kindness and meekness of these 3 ladies in our community far surpassed what we may live to see today. Why, because they did it with the little they had, with grace, pride and passion, and they would do it all over with a smile if they had to. The sacrifices they made for their own and strangers to be happy was all that mattered to them. Rest in peace Aunty Jo

my sincere sympathy goes out to the family of miss joe.may the lord bless her soul,may she rest in peace.

my condolences to all the family. my thoughts are with you at this very sad time. my fondest memory of aunt Jo, is that great smile of hers and her kindness. whenever I am in jamaica, i will always be looking for her sitting on the verandah and saying hi baby. may her soul rest in peace.