Joann Askoff, a longtime World Harvest Church servant remembered for her investment in women and generations of Christian college students, has died at 89. Her son-in-law, Pastor Rod Parsley, announced that she died on October 2, 2026, prompting a tribute that placed her decades of ministry alongside her devotion to her family.
Askoff was the mother of Joni Parsley and her sisters, Julie and Jennifer, and the wife of the late Oscar Askoff. Her funeral home's memorial page records her birth date as March 25, 1937, and identifies her with Kirkersville, Ohio.
Her place in World Harvest's history extended beyond her relationship to its pastor. In the announcement shared on Instagram, Parsley described Askoff as a faithful servant of the congregation for decades, someone who poured into the church's women and invested deeply in students at what is now Valor Christian College. His tribute identifies those relationships as a central part of her legacy: women encouraged in their faith and successive generations of students supported as they prepared for their futures.
That long association with the church is also documented in an earlier family memorial. Following Oscar Askoff's death in 2019, the Parsley family described the Askoffs as instrumental in World Harvest Church's history and legacy, establishing that their contribution had been recognized years before Joann's death.
Joann and Oscar shared 63 years of marriage before his death on August 5, 2019. Oscar was a military veteran who served in Korea and devoted 38 years to church service as an usher, head usher, and usher emeritus. Their shared commitment connected family life with the everyday work of sustaining a congregation.
For Joann, Parsley's latest remembrance focuses particularly on her service to women and students. While he did not specify a formal position or provide a year-by-year account of her work, he emphasized its duration and reach, describing a woman whose influence extended across generations.
Within her own family, that legacy continues through her three daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Parsley said he had the privilege of calling Askoff his mother-in-law for more than 40 years, giving his announcement the perspective of someone who had known her through decades of family and church life.
"Our hearts are heavy, but our hope is steadfast," Parsley wrote in the announcement. He remembered Askoff's love for Jesus, her family, and her church, expressing grief at her absence alongside confidence in the faith she had lived.
Parsley asked supporters to pray for Joni and the entire family and invited those who knew Askoff to share memories or messages at whc.life. At the time of checking, Hoskinson Funeral Home listed arrangements as pending.
