Willie Jo Boaz

Willie Jo Morris Boaz passed away peacefully on the 28th of July, 2018 at the age of 99. She leaves a world changed by her long and full life, serving the Lord, her family and countless others. She truly had a wonderful life. Willie Jo was born March 18, 1919, at home in the McAdams Community, in western Walker County, to John Thomas Morris and Annie Grace Barron Morris. Willie Jo was the granddaughter of the late William James Morris and Margaret Antonio Moore Morris and the late Reece Owens Barron and Mary Charlotte Jones Barron. In 1920, when Willie Jo was ten months old, the Morris family moved from the McAdams Community to the Goree Prison Farm. Willie Jo’s father, John, had accepted a job as supervisor of the garment factory at Goree. In 1930, the Morris family moved to town and bought a home located on 21st Street, a site that is now part of the Sam Houston State University campus. Willie Jo attended Huntsville public schools and graduated from Huntsville High School in 1936. After graduating from high school, Willie Jo enrolled at Sam Houston State Teachers College (SHSTC) in Huntsville. Willie Jo excelled in her college course work and studied to become a teacher. Willie Jo graduated from SHSTC in 1938, earning a B.S. degree in Education. Willie Jo also earned a M.A. degree from SHSTC in 1948. After her undergraduate college graduation, Willie Jo began teaching elementary school. Willie Jo’s 20-year teaching career took her to Iola, Kittrell, Hubbard, Richmond and finally back to Huntsville, where she taught third grade. Willie Jo met her future husband, Joe Albert Boaz on a blind date to the Texas Prison Rodeo in 1946. Joe and Willie Jo were married on Christmas Day, December 25, 1947, at the Morris family home in Huntsville. For more than 60 years, Willie Jo was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Huntsville. This was the church she attended with her parents growing up and the church she attended in later years with her own family. Willie Jo especially enjoyed working in the church library. On Sunday mornings, you could find her in the library, sorting and stacking books and helping children pick out just the right book to check out and take home. Willie Jo worked in the church library for almost 40 years. Willie Jo had a wonderfully positive outlook that brought joy and encouragement to all who knew her. She most enjoyed being with her family and a small group of friends she grew up with in Huntsville. These were friendships she cherished and friendships that lasted a lifetime. She also enjoyed quietly observing the interaction of her friends and family. She was the consummate and gracious hostess who made everyone feel welcome and included. Willie Jo was a supportive wife and mother who attended countless sporting events, band concerts, piano recitals and school plays. She was also the “go-to” mother if one of her friends or family needed a place for their children to stay for a weekend, a week or a month. Willie Jo was soft spoken, kind and incredibly patient with her family and everyone she met. Willie Jo was also a master of the unspoken word. She understood the power of words – both good and bad – and she always chose her words carefully. She was a gift from God and her family adored her. Willie Jo was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Joe Albert Boaz (1917-2002); her son, Jon Albert Boaz (1962-2011); her parents John Thomas Morris (1882-1966) and Annie Grace Barron Morris (1892-1994); her sister Fay Morris Stewart (1912-2014); and her brother-in-law, Charles Vannoy Stewart (1913-1986). Willie Jo is survived by her son, Joseph Charles Boaz and wife Eileen of Huntsville; daughter, Jan Boaz Ables and husband Clint of Huntsville; grandson, Joseph Carlton Boaz and wife Deborah of Huntsville; granddaughter, Emily Grace Boaz Stavinoha and husband Hudson of Dallas; great grandchildren, Anabelle Fay Boaz, Joseph Albert Boaz and Marion Reese Boaz, all of Huntsville; and two surviving first cousins, Eloise Robinson Powell of Huntsville and Bill Barron and wife Joyce of Sugar Land. The memorial service celebrating Willie Jo’s life will be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on the 1st of August, 2018, in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Huntsville with Reverend Jason Bay officiating. All are invited to greet the family at a visitation at the church beginning at ten o’clock. Prior to the memorial service, the family will have gathered for a private service of interment at Adickes Addition of Oakwood Cemetery in Huntsville. The family would also like to express their appreciation for the wonderful care Willie Jo received at Unlimited Care Cottages, formerly Virginia’s Lake Home in Willis over the past six and a half years. In lieu of customary remembrances, and for those desiring, the family requests with gratitude that memorials be directed to the Huntsville High School Ex-Students Association, P. O. Box 1717, Huntsville, TX 77342-1717 or the charity of one’s choice.

Willie Jo Boaz

March 18, 1919 - July 28, 2018