Betty Jo Pierson, age 94, a resident of Westbridge at Wyndemere in Wheaton, IL, passed away on Thursday, September 5, 2019. She was born October 4, 1924 in Henderson County, Tennessee to James Belton Robison and Grace Hayes Robison.

She grew up on a farm east of Lexington, TN and would say she was "Tennessee Tough." She was a lifelong member of Rockhill Baptist Church. She attended Union University in Jackson, TN where she met Sture B. Pierson. They were married after he returned from combat in WWII on September 28, 1945. Jo and Stu moved to the midwest where he graduated from the University of IL and they had a son. She later pursued a career in Journalism with the Crystal Lake Herald in Crystal Lake, IL. She was a political and special feature reporter. In 1970, they moved to Memphis, TN where she continued her education at the University of Memphis. After graduation, she began a career in human resources at Smith and Nephew, a surgical instrument manufacturing company. After her husbands death she moved to Wheaton, IL to be with her son and family, where she practiced her calling as the perfect grandmother and great-grandmother.

She enjoyed travel and took trips to Sweden, the Black Hills of South Dakota and the North shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. She and Stu enjoyed boating on the Tennessee River Waterways. She was a natural with animals, especially horses, mules and dogs. She loved wildlife, watching birds, and gardening. She enjoyed the wild west and was a huge fan of the TV series "Gun Smoke" and Matt Dillion, played by James Arness. She was known for her gracious southern hospitality and engaging wit.

She is survived by her son, Dr. Steve (Dr. Cheri) Pierson of Wheaton, two grandsons, Jonathan (Erica) Pierson and David Pierson, great-granson, Jordan Pierson and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, two brothers and a sister.

A memorial visitation will be held September 13, 2019 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton, where a memorial service will follow at 2:00 p.m. Private interment will be held at West Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.

Memorial gifts may be directed to Friends of the National WWII Memorial in Washington DC. www.wwiimemorialfriends.org or the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. https://billygraham.org/give/give-online/

Family and friends may sign a guest book at hultgrenfh.com. For more information, please call Hultgren Funeral Home at 630-668-0027.