Billie Jo Brignon

Billie Jo Brignon was called home to spend eternity with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, January 10, 2026, in Midland, Texas just twenty-three days shy of her 101st birthday. She was born on February 2, 1925, at home in Kaufman, Texas. She grew up in and around the Dallas area with her older brother Bruce and younger sister Patsy Ruth under the watchful eye of her father, Edgar Allen Clark, with help from her dear Aunt May.

Billie Jo graduated from Dallas’ Crozier Tech as an honor student in 1943, but it was during her sophomore year that something happened that would impact the rest of her life. Math was her favorite subject, and a teacher asked her to tutor a young man on the football team that needed some help. That young man was Walter Louis “Red” Brignon Jr., who she would go on to marry on February 28, 1947. Billie Jo and Red were married for 54 years until his death in September 2001, fulfilling their vow “until death do we part”.

After graduating from Crozier Tech, Billie Jo went to work for the Katy Railroad and later in the Magnolia Building in Dallas (with the red Pegasus on top). While she did not attend college, there is little doubt that the degree that Red earned from SMU was due in no small part to the kitchen table tutoring he received from Billie Jo. Billie Jo could have been the inspiration for the adage “Behind every great man is a great woman”.

Billie Jo was baptized at the Peak & East Church of Christ as a teenager and was a devout Christian her entire life. Billie Jo kept her bible close and spent time daily in the Word up until her final days. She loved God and embodied His expectations for a Christian woman. She was strong, confident and convicted and at the same time, exuded kindness and compassion that endeared her to others. She also believed in sharing with others and was a faithful supporter of numerous charitable causes throughout her life.

Billie Jo and Red had four children: Walter Louis “Rusty” Brignon III, Les “Chadwick Flowers” Brignon, John Timothy Brignon and Jodi Tyke Brignon Arthurs. Billie Jo took great pride and joy in supporting and caring for her family. She was an outstanding cook, an accomplished seamstress and an enthusiastic supporter of each child’s activities. She was also blessed with immense patience, which was often tested in situations like the time she finished grocery shopping only to find that one of her boys had scaled the store wall and was proudly standing atop the HEB sign waving to her. After her children became parents, she was equally enthusiastic about her grandchildren and great children, who knew her as Billie, Bill, Bibby and Granny. She loved attending sporting events, dance recitals and school programs every chance she could. It was not uncommon for friends of the grandchildren and great grandchildren to claim her as an “adopted” grandmother once they had met Billie Jo.

In February 2025, Billie Jo and her family gathered in Midland to celebrate her 100th birthday. When asked for her secret to longevity, Billie Jo was quick to give credit to her daily regimen of Dr Pepper and powdered sugar donuts. She had a wonderful sense of humor and looked forward to April Fool’s Day, one of her favorite holidays. No one in the family was spared her trickery, and she took great pride in being able to find a gullible target each year. One of her few disappointments in life was never winning the Publishers Clearinghouse contest, but it was not for a lack of trying.

Billie Jo was preceded in death by her father Edgar Allen Clark, her brother Bruce Clark and her husband Red Brignon. She is survived by her sister Patsy Ruth; her children Rusty and wife Julie, Les and wife Vicki, John and wife Gayla and Tyke and husband Mike; her grandchildren Nate and wife Megan, Andy and wife Taylor, Travis and fiancé Ashley, Ali, Sarah and husband Greg, Hannah and husband Scott, Joseph and wife Allison, Ashleigh and husband Walker, Blake, Carli Jo, Delaney and Emma and fiancé Jacob; and her great grandchildren Ben, Sam, Charli Jo, Houston, Travis “Little T”, Emme, Brooks, Luke, Emma, Ellie-June, Louetta Jo, O’Rian, Artie Jo, Lyric, Lucy and Grant.

The family will have a graveside service at Memorial Oaks cemetery in Houston, Texas on Saturday, January 24, 2026, where Billie Jo will be laid to rest next to her husband. The service will be officiated by David Duncan, Preaching Minister at Memorial Church of Christ where Billie Jo and Red attended for most of their time in Houston.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Billie Jo Brignon can be made to Memorial Church of Christ at 900 Echo Lane, Houston, Texas 77024 or Hospice of Midland at 911 West Texas Ave, Midland, Texas 79701.