Josephine Northup Obituary

NORTHUP, Josephine Josephine Gribbin Northup died peacefully Tuesday evening, September 13, 2005, at Mission Hospital. Born in Charleston, S.C., on April 12, 1918, she was the daughter of The Rt. Rev. and Mrs. Robert E. Gribbin. She later moved with her family to Winston-Salem and then to Asheville. After graduating from Salem College in Winston-Salem, Mrs. Northup returned to Asheville; there she met and married her husband, the late Reverend Isaac Northup, former rector of All Souls Church. About twenty-five years after the Northup family moved from Asheville in 1957, Isaac and Josephine Northup returned here to live. Mrs. Northup saw her primary role as that of wife and mother, yet her influence stretched far beyond the bounds of her family unit. Virtually everyone who knew her remembers her extraordinary kindness. If she saw a need, she would meet it. For example, because the rectory was on the church grounds, people who were hungry often showed up on the rectory porch; and she graciously fixed a meal for anyone who came. Additionally, in the 1950's she realized that the people who came to town on Saturday to sell produce and handmade items on the sidewalk were often wet or cold, so she arranged for the Curb Market to be housed in the All Souls parish hall. In Massachusetts, students at Brooks School knew that Mrs. Northup was always ready to welcome them with a cup of hot chocolate and a homemade chocolate chip cookie. She provided a home-away-from-home for so many students whose parents were hundreds of miles away. Mrs. Northup was a member of a number of organizations including the Junior League of Asheville, the Colonial Dames of North Carolina, the McGuffey Readers, and the Good Time Girls. She is survived by her daughter, Josephine (Babie) Strobel of Asheville; son, Fred Northup, and daughter-in-law Julie of Atlanta; daughter, Emma Flinn, and husband Tom of Ringgold, Georgia; son, Ike Northup and daughter-in-law Beth of Asheville; and eleven grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Friday at 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of All Souls. Burial will be Saturday at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, S.C. The family suggests that memorials be made to Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Center, 1617 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803 or the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101-5043. Morris Funeral Home, Merrimon Avenue, is in charge of the arrangements. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.