Joan Smith Billheimer

Joan Smith Billheimer, 90, of Florence SC, passed away Friday, January 9th, 2026. She was the daughter of the late Julius and Mary Pressler Smith. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brothers, Gerald Smith and James Smith; and sister, Phyllis Hensperger.

Surviving are her husband of 67 years, John Billheimer; daughters, JoAnne Billheimer and Mary Jane Billheimer Weir (Mark). She was also affectionally known as “Momma Joan” to Daniel James Lamm (Meredith) and Helen Lamm Roy (Matthew).

Joan met John met in their hometown of New Brunswick, New Jersey, and John’s engineering career gradually led them to the south, with their final destination being Florence, SC. Joan spent most of her career in the banking industry, retiring in 2019 from First Reliance Bank. Joan was driven by her Catholic faith, and she was a very active ambassador and volunteer for her community. She was passionate about McLeod hospital, and she served on the McLeod Health Foundation board from 2004-2023. Being a breast cancer survivor, she co-chaired the Mobile Mammography campaign for Mcleod in 2008.

In 2006, she and longtime friend Kay Floyd-Parris established the Colors of Cancer fundraising initiative in Florence, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research. Joan also help to found the Florence “Let’s Talk” group which encouraged conversations with individuals from different walks of life. Joan served on numerous community boards and received many community accolades for her passionate work.

Joan truly enjoyed life, and she treasured hosting friends and family in her home. Those who visited were forever immortalized with a famous bathroom picture where all her guests would gather for a group shot in a small half-bath. She was also famous for her lamb chops, and she provided them as a staple for many of the charity events.

A prayer service and visitation will be held at Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home from 5:00 to 7:00PM Tuesday, January 13, 2026. A Mass of Resurrection will be held at St Ann’s Catholic Church the following morning, January 14th at 10:00AM. There will be a celebration of life at the Florence Country Club following the mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Ann’s Catholic Church or McLeod Center for Cancer Treatment and Research.