Betty Joyce Killgo passed from this earth into the arms of her Heavenly Father on February 2, 2020 at 11:20 pm at Homestead of Sherman.  Betty was born on April 7, 1930 in Sherman, Texas to William Austin Jaco and Willie Estlean (Garrett) Jaco.  She attended Sherman schools and was a 1948 graduate of Sherman High School.  She married R. E. Neill of Van Alstyne, Texas on June 12, 1948. That marriage produced two daughters, Sharon Slaughter and Rhonda Hudson.

Betty met T. M. Killgo and they married May 24, 1958.  T.M. had three children from a previous marriage.  Their combined love for one another and for the children created a beautiful blended family. Betty was 28 years old at the time and now had five children under the age of 8 years old.

She taught all of her children at an early age how to cook, clean house and do laundry. I'm sure it was out of necessity.  We were not always happy about it, but as we got older, we realized that it helped prepare us for our adult lives.  Betty went to work in retail for a short period of time after we became teenagers and in 1969, she went to work at Texas Instruments and stayed there until she took early retirement.  During her retirement years, she and Daddy were fortunate enough to purchase a motor home and travel. They enjoyed camping and fishing at different lakes. Their favorite trips to take were the ones to Florida to see their oldest daughter, Brenda, her husband and grandchildren.  Momma always talked about how much she loved and enjoyed those trips.

Momma was a young child of nine years old when she received the Lord as her Saviour in the Baptist church.  She later became a member of the Assemblies of God Church.  She raised all five of her children to love and serve the Lord.  She made sure that we always put the Lord first in our lives and that we attended church whenever the doors were open.  Momma and Daddy did not allow us to argue and fight.  They taught us to love one another as brothers and sisters should.  To this day, we have never had an argument.

Momma was a prayer warrior.  Many times, as a child, I can remember Momma and her girlfriends getting together in homes and praying for their families and churches. Momma had many people from all over the United States calling on her to pray for their families.  She was always very faithful to the calling of God on her life.  The most important thing in her life was pleasing God and making sure that her family was ready to meet the Lord.  She spent many years praying for all of her family and as a result most of her family became Christians.  She was instrumental in leading her husband and her brothers to the Lord. Her brother, Dalton Jaco is the pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Whitewright, Texas.

During the latter years of her life, Mom enjoyed visiting her friends and relatives.  She always loved having her family around her. The Lord and her family was her life.  At the age of 78, Mom ran into an old grammar school classmate at Jack in the Box.  They began talking about old times and eventually renewed that old friendship.  Charles (Charlie) Escalera became one of the family.

She is survived by daughters, Betty Sharon Slaughter and husband, Michael of Sherman, Rhonda Ellen Hudson and husband, Phil of Sherman, Barbara Lynn White and husband Larry of Plano, daughter Brenda Gayle Evans of Bradenton, Florida, and son, Mark Steven Killgo of Denison, Texas.  She is also survived by a brother, Reverend Dalton E. Jaco of Whitewright, Texas, sister in law Evelyn Jaco Fielder, 12 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, 1 great great grandchild, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.  She is also survived by her Sweetheart, Charles (Charlie) Escalera, who has been a loyal and faithful friend for the past several years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William A. and Estlean Jaco, her husband, T. M. Killgo, brothers, Bill Jaco, Bobby Jaco, and sister-n-law Lorene, sister, Jean Meek and brother- in-law Bill and son-in-law Larry Evans.

Visitation will be held Friday, February 7, 2020 at 1:00 pm to 2:00PM, with funeral services beginning at 2:00pm located at Waldo Funeral Home in Sherman with Rev. Rick Ring officiating.  Graveside service held immediately afterward at West Hill Cemetery in Sherman.  Shayne Staggs, Joshua Staggs, Chris Killgo, Tyler Pellman, Dylan Ottwell, and Christian Killgo will serve as pallbearers.