Billy Joe Ford

1927 - 2009

Billy Joe Ford, 82, passed away Friday, July 31, 2009.
Funeral: 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Greenwood Chapel. Entombment: Greenwood Mausoleum. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Greenwood Funeral Home.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, your generous contributions to either the Alzeimer's Association, www.alz.org, or the American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org, is most certainly appreciated by the family.
Billy Joe Ford was born April 17, 1927, in Shannon, located in Clay County. The youngest of seven siblings, Billy Joe grew up in the Depression-Dust Bowl era on his family's "truck farm" raising vegetables to sell or trade locally in then barren North Texas. He joined the U.S. Navy in World War II as a teen to escape a job of "stompin' cotton in cotton sacks while they poured more cotton on top you!"
Billy Joe served our country aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hancock participating in several World War II battles of the Pacific theater. After the war, he married his hometown sweetheart, Wanda Edwards, and followed work to Phoenix, Ariz., where their first son, Joe Ford, was born.
Weary of being an independent contractor and the possibility of extended time away from his new family to locate suitable work, Billy Joe joined the Fort Worth ISD building maintenance department. His considerable Master Plasterer skills were often employed restoring classic Art Deco era public school facilities to their original grandeur. Billy Joe retired from the Fort Worth ISD after many years of faithful service.
Leading an active social life and serving their community was an important facet for both Billy Joe and his wife of 62 years, Wanda Ford. He was an active participant in his son's school days activities, especially with peewee baseball, the Brewer H.S. Quarterback Club and the Golden Gloves boxing organization. Billy Joe was a lifetime member of VFW Post 5617 where he held most offices, including quartermaster and commander.
His true fraternal brotherhood of the Masonic Lodge and Moslah Shrine were always an influence in Billy Joe's life. A lifetime Mason and Shriner, he and his lady Wanda, were fixtures at many of the charitable organization's social events and conventions. During his most active years he was a social member of the Moslah Shrine band, founding member of the Car-vette motorcar unit, and an energetic member of the camping club.
Always an avid outdoorsman, Billy Joe was a renowned quail hunter and raised championship hunting bird dogs. He often judged field trial (and when not judging, won) competitions for top-quality quail hunting bird dogs. Billy Joe was best known as a crack shot while quail hunting afoot, rarely pulling the trigger unless results were assured - most likely, a holdover principle of his Depression era upbringing.
Upon retirement, Billy Joe spent countless days aboard his boat docked on Lake Benbrook. On numerous occasions he hosted his sons and friends for a fishing adventure and would be the only one to actually catch worthy fish all day long. He also spent time perfecting his award winning chili recipe and won many chili cook-offs with his famous "Gator Chili."
Most recently, Billy Joe fought a battle with valiant effort against the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. With his faithful wife at his side, they together regularly recounted their lifetime of shared accomplishments and adventures. They were absolutely lovers in the truest sense of the meaning.
A special thank-you to the many in-home caregivers and the staff of Silverado Senior Living Memory Care Center, Plano for all of their efforts to maintain our parent's dignity of life.
Billy Joe was preceded in death by wife of 62 years, Wanda Deleen Edwards Ford, June 20, 2009.
We love you mom and daddy-Joe and Jim.
Survivors: Sons, Joe Ford of Dallas and Jim Ford of Orlando, Fla.; grandchildren, Clay Ford and wife, Mina, of Charlottesville, Va., and Kelly Cowan and husband, Shane, of McKinney; great-grandchildren, Garrett and Addison Ford and Grace Cowan; brother-in-law, W.L. Edwards and nephew, Bill Edwards, of Bowie; sister-in-law, Sybil Ford and niece, Doris Slaughter, of Henrietta; nephew, Ronnie Ford of Wichita Falls; and cousin, R.B. Kerbow and wife, Jackie, of Conroe.