Joseph "Jody" Johnson Hunter III

Joseph “Jody” Johnson Hunter, III peacefully passed away on Monday, January 19, 2026. Jody was born in Spartanburg, SC on March 10, 1947 to the late Joseph “Jack” Johnson Hunter, Jr. and Eleanor Bolt Hunter. Jody was preceded in death by his loving partner and wife of 51 years, Carroll Gage Hunter. He is survived by his daughters Tricia Hunter Austin (J) and Emily Hunter Lee (Bob) and four beloved grandchildren Jeffery Lee, Amelia Lee, Jack Austin and William Austin. Jody is survived by his sister Carey Pearce (Britt) and her family. He is also survived by four of Carroll’s siblings that became brothers and sisters. Jody was blessed with many extended family and lifelong friends who enriched his life and will miss him dearly.

Jody lived a long full life in Greenville with a community of friends and family that grew up together from a young age and remain close. He graduated from Clemson University and went on to receive his graduate degree in Accounting from the University of Georgia. After a long and successful career with Monsanto and many wonderful years in Pensacola, Florida as his family grew, Jody returned to Greenville to work with Mitsubishi until retirement.

Back in Greenville, Jody also embarked on work in real estate and development. This newfound interest grew into a career where he used his passion and business experience to create thoughtful and lasting change to Greenville and build close relationships with residents and local businesses. Jody and Carroll both devoted their time and energy to each project and were hands on, finding joy in the people and the process. J.J. Hunter Properties’ evolving vision continued until his passing and it brought him great satisfaction and happiness.

Jody’s true legacy however is one of love and laughter and music. He shared all three with those he loved and with those he barely knew. For those of us that shared life with him, we never went without his infectious smile, laughter, or sense of humor. He was a steadfast caregiver, confidant and supporter who was compassionate and wise. And with his love of music he shared his talent and kept us singing and dancing and enjoying every song that emanated from his upright piano or keyboard and his smiling face. In the words of James Taylor, we can still hear Jody sing today “Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself because I love you, yes I do”. We were so well loved by him and will forever love and miss him.

After a private service, the family will host a Celebration of Life at Stone Lake Pool Clubhouse on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 2:30 pm. We welcome family, friends and colleagues to join us in remembrance and joy as we honor Jody.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Jody’s honor to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, a nonprofit he supported over the years. This can be done online at

cacsp.org or by sending correspondence to: CAC of Spartanburg 100 Washington Place, Spartanburg, SC 29302.