Mrs. Joan Robertson Hiott, wife of Mr. John S. Hiott, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 86, after an extended illness. Mrs. Hiott was born on December 19, 1936 to Getha Madison and Dola Cleland Wood Robertson in Green Pond, South Carolina, the youngest of five children. At the age of 5, she and her family moved to Walterboro, where she was educated in the public-school system. In high school, she was involved in many organizations and also worked part-time as a soda jerk in a new venture on Washington Street, known as Hiotts Pharmacy. It was there that she met her future husband, “Johnny” Hiott, and they married in 1956. In the years that followed they had two boys, John Jr., born in 1959, and Perry, born in 1961. Joan joined First Baptist Church of Walterboro when her family moved there and remained a devoted member all of her life. Among other activities, she served on the flower committee, was the head of the social committee, assisted with Bible School, and worked in the children’s nursery for many years. She was also involved in the civic activities of her community and was an inactive member of the DAR during her last years. While the boys were growing up, Joan was very involved in their activities and raising money for their school. She was a fun mom who delighted in hosting the kids and their friends at Edisto Beach and, later adding grandkids, in her favorite place on earth, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. After her children were away at college, she began working along beside her husband as a pharmacy assistant where she worked for many years. Joan was an enthusiastic decorator, and had a keen eye for color and elegant but comfortable interiors. She, along with Johnny, were also enthusiastic horticulturalists. They loved and grew varieties of many shrubs, along with numerous perennials and annuals, and were selected as Yard of the Month many times. Her passion and talent, though, was arranging flowers, which she did all her life for her church, home, many weddings, and other social events. She was an exceptional hostess and held numerous parties, teas, luncheons, dinners for family and friends until very recently. She was also a devoted and doting grandmother to her four grandchildren who adored her as much as she adored them. She was also known for her incisive, sometimes biting, wit and straightforward conversation. Joan is survived by her husband, Johnny, her two sons, John and Perry, and Perry’s wife Lisa Dyches Hiott, as well as her four grandchildren, Caroline, Steven, Mariah, and Ella Hiott. She is also survived by in-laws, Rosemary Hiott Hadwin and her husband, George (“Happy”) Hadwin, and Bobbi Shealy Hiott, along with many nieces and nephews, and dedicated friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, and her siblings and their spouses, Harold Madison Robertson and Sarah Sweat Robertson; Doris Robertson Sweat and her husband, Jimmy; Genelle Robertson Moore and her husband, Billy; and Bette Robertson Fralick. Funeral services will be held Tuesday morning, November 21, 2023 at 11 am at the First Baptist Church of Walterboro. Visitation will be held Monday evening, November 20th, from 6 until 8 p.m., at Parker-Rhoden Funeral Home. The family requests that memorials be made to the charity of one’s choice.
