Betty Jo Williams

November 19, 1925 - August 17, 2018

Services for Betty J. Williams, 92, of Rusk will be 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at the Wallace-Thompson Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Don Copeland officiating. She was born in New Salem, TX near Henderson on November 19, 1925 to Alford Evans and Agnes McCord Evans. She passed away on August 17, 2018 at ETMC/Jacksonville, having been a resident at Jacksonville HealthCare Center for just over one year. She graduated from Henderson High School in 1943, and attended Tyler Commercial College, following which she went to work at the Rusk State Hospital in the Administration Building as a secretary. Following her marriage to John Claiborne Williams, Jr. in 1946, she went to work for father-in-law at J. C. Williams Ford/Texaco, which was located on the present site of Citizens First Bank in Rusk. She later worked again at the Rusk State Hospital Maximum Security Unit as a Psychiatric Staff Technician for about 11 years, before she retired from employment. Ms. Williams was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Rusk, where she attended until her health declined. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 65 years, John Claiborne Williams, Jr.; one brother, Robert Luther Evans, and a sister, Orell Grammer. She is survived by her sister Hazel Lytle of Corpus Christi, three children, John C. Williams, III of Rusk; Joanna Lee of Rusk, and Jane Dansby and husband Charles of Lubbock; three grandchildren, Tracy Jo Lee of Rusk and Joel & Jeremy Dansby of Lubbock; three great grandchildren: Jordan Booth, Jamarkus Mickens, and Jada Mickens, all of Rusk. Honorary pallbearers will be Don Jones, Mike Crysup, Lester Hughes, Jim Perkins, Larry Long, David Long, and Charles Dansby. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m., Tuesday morning until service time.