Betty Jo "B.J." Knight Ward

Betty Jo “B.J.” Knight Ward, 91, passed away peacefully on October 2, 2026, in Sun City, Arizona, surrounded by loved ones.

B.J. was born August 4, 1935, in Haskell, Oklahoma, to Robert Franklin Knight and Flora Mae Jackson Knight. The youngest of nine children, B.J. was the last of her siblings to pass.

Oklahoma was where her story began, but much of her life was spent in Texas. First in Garland, where she raised her four daughters, and later in Denison, where she met Stan Ward and shared many happy years with him.

B.J. married Rex Milton Hendrix in Seattle, Washington, on November 27, 1952. Together they had four daughters, Lyndia, Rexie, Gail and Tammy, and built a large family that continued to grow across generations.

She is survived by her daughters and their families: Lyndia Silvers and her children, Angel Puckett and her husband, John, and Paul Ford and his wife, Corina; Rexie Hendrix and her longtime partner, Mike Springer, and her sons, Brian Guerra and his wife, Courtney, and Ryan Medlock; Gail Shaffer and her husband, William, and her children, Brandi Loucks and her husband, Jeromy, William Crawford and his partner, Jamila, and Jillion Becker and her husband, Michael, as well as her stepchildren, William E. Shaffer and his wife, Virginia, and Marcy Terry and her husband, Shawn; and Tammy Edney and her husband, David, and their daughter, Amanda Duffer, and her husband, Drew.

She is also survived by 26 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.

B.J. was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Franklin Knight and Flora Mae Jackson Knight; her husband, Stan Ward; her eight siblings; and several other beloved family members.

B.J. loved crafting and art and was always happiest when there was family nearby and good food on the table. She was creative, funny and wonderfully feisty, and that spark stayed with her right to the end.

Celebration of life information will be shared with family and friends as arrangements are finalized.