Betty Jo Bailey Brown

Betty Jo Bailey Brown was born on March 29, 1944 in Houston, Texas to Joseph Weldon Bailey and Gladys Elizabeth Henry Bailey.

A natural storyteller, she would regale her family with memories of growing up the oldest of four children at the Bailey homestead at Sandydale. A lover of animals, Betty attended Sam Houston State University with dreams of being a veterinarian. She became a zookeeper of sorts, surrounding herself with goats, and abandoned dogs and cats who wandered up to the house and stayed because they were drawn to her kindness and an unlimited supply of food.

She met Leon Brown at Port City State Bank, where he worked as a vice-president and she worked as a teller while living with her beloved grandmother Ethel Henry. They were married in 1970 at the chapel at St. Luke's Hospital. They created their dream home together - a 100 year old house that they moved across town in two pieces to five acres of land between New Caney and Huffman, Texas near her parents. Together, they created a magical place to raise a family. Her happy place.

They had three daughters - Jessica, Angela, and Amanda Brown, of whom Betty was fiercely protective. She encouraged them to follow their dreams, always be kind, love all animals, always be there for each other, sing when you can, and laugh. Family was the most important thing in the world to her.

Betty worked at the family business JEDS Hardware, until she retired. She adored her coworkers and her door was always open to them. Betty never met a stranger and she loved to make people smile.

Her favorite times were spent with family and friends - swapping stories, playing dominos, listening to music, and singing. Memories of road trips harmonizing with the family were held dear. She loved to look at photos of the next generation of the Bailey, White, and Brown families. And cat videos. She became slightly addicted to Facebook, earning the name "Meme-Maw" due to the number of memes she would share. Jessica once received 75 in one day, which is believed to be her record.

In recent years, she treasured visits from "Uncle Snackums" - a name given to her brother Clyde by the Brown family cats, three-way phone calls with her second favorite set of twins, Clyde and Susie, and times that all three of her daughters were together at her side.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband Jesse Leon Brown, her parents Joe and Gladys Bailey, her sisters-in-law Cindy Bailey and Monna Brown, and her brothers-in-law Johnny White, Donald Brown, and Jimmie Brown.

She is survived by her daughters Jessica, Angie, and Mandi Brown, as well as her brother Weldon Bailey, his wife Diane, and children Jeff, Berit, Megan, and Dana, her brother Clyde Bailey and his son Adam, her sister Barbara Sue White, her daughter Krisha and son Brent, sister-in-law Bonnie Clark, and the Brown nieces and nephews Marianna and Randy Houston, Lori and Ted Bigelow, Dana and David Dunkin, Jonathan and Kim Keathley Brown, Blair Brown and Kim Watkins-Brown, and many amazing kids and grown up kids in the next generation of both sides of the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Houston Humane Society Pet Resources Fund in Betty's name at https://www.houstonhumane.org/giving/designate-your-gift.