Joni Linn Elmore passed away due to complications from diabetes on the morning of January 15, 2026. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am, Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in The Chapel at Griffin~Hillcrest Funeral Home. Interment to follow in Hillcrest Memorial Park, Ardmore, Okla.

Joni was born on October 20, 1955, in Springfield, MO to Johnny and Sally Elmore. Sally was a homemaker and Johnny was a traveling evangelist and preacher. Joni spent much of her childhood traveling the country with her parents and listening to her father preach. When she was old enough, she obeyed the Gospel and was a faithful member of the Lord's church for the rest of her life. Age and health made travel difficult in her final years, but if she was well enough to go anywhere, she went to church - with a stop at Taco Casa on the way home. She experienced many setbacks and disappointments, but she always looked ahead to the promise of a better life after this one.

In Joni's travels, her friendly personality and quick wit earned her many lifelong friends and acquaintances who she kept in touch with for years and visited whenever possible. Her strong convictions and extensive Bible knowledge were an example to many people, and she was not averse to providing “education” where she saw a need - but it was always with a desire to help and firm, but (almost always) gentle. She was an avid, voracious reader and was always looking for her next book, sharing her recent reads and getting recommendations from friends. Her childhood as a preacher's kid instilled in her a love for travel, and she was always up for an adventure to somewhere she had never been - and she would always come home with a stack of pictures to show off. From her marriage came what she called the best and only good thing to come out of that union, her only child, a son, who she raised as a single mother for many years (with support and encouragement from Johnny and Sally). After many years of urging, she went back to her maiden name because she was "more Elmore than anything." While Joni's childhood dream was to be a homemaker, she also attended nursing school and earned her practical nursing license and worked in various medical settings. She also obtained her paralegal license and worked for attorneys, school systems, and public health organizations before retiring to her "real" profession, “Bubbie” to Matilda.

Joni was preceded in death by her parents, Johnny and Sally, and her younger brother, Stan.

She is survived by her son Clay and his wife Abigail, a granddaughter, Matilda, two nieces, Hillary Harris and Sophie Hamblin, and a large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

A visitation is planned for Monday, January 19, 2026, from 6 pm until 8 pm at Griffin~Hillcrest Funeral Home.