Jo Ann Byrd

Jo Ann Byrd, 83, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, July 24, 2020 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma surrounded by her family. Funeral services have been entrusted to the care of Dighton-Marler Funeral Home of Stillwater.

Jo Ann Byrd was born at home in Tokio, Texas, on November 25, 1936, to Anton and Bessie L. ( Alexander) Urban. Jo Ann was the third born of eleven children. She grew up in the town of West, Texas, where she graduated high-school, Jo Ann went to work at a glass plant in Waco, Texas, upon graduating high-school.

Jo Ann left the glass plant in 1956 and went to work in a department store in Waco, Texas, where she met the love of her life, Richard G. Byrd. Shortly afterwards, Jo Ann and Richard were married in Waco, Texas, on January 1, 1958.

Jo Ann and Richard had four children, Deborah Ann, Dan Richard, James Winston, and Alan Craig. The family moved to Stillwater during the fall of 1970. Jo Ann greatly valued her family and served as a stay home mother to her children until the time they were in high-school. Afterwards, Jo Ann worked for the Oklahoma State University Bursar's Office where she retired after 20 years of service.

Most important in Jo Ann's life was her family and faith. Jo Ann was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. One of Jo Ann's favorite pastimes was working in her flower beds and vegetable garden, as well as, preparing for holidays and cooking for her family. Jo Ann was a longtime member of University Heights Baptist Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

In Jo Ann's younger years, Jo Ann served as a Cub Scout Den Leader in the late 1960's and 1970's in Russellville, Arkansas, and Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Jo Ann is survived by one daughter, Debbie Curry and husband Jim of Edmond, OK; three sons, Dan Byrd and wife Joy of Stillwater, OK, James Byrd of Tulsa, OK, and Craig Byrd and fiancée Nicki Wood of Stillwater, OK; twelve grandchildren, Scott, Katie, Brandon, Catherine, Rachel, Will, Jared, Liam, Fiona, Stella, Iris, and Julian; four great grandchildren, Chloe, Christopher, Dyani, and Zephaniah; three sisters, Ruby Fulp of Temple, TX, Bessie Dennis and husband Bill of Granbury, TX, and Janie Jones and husband Don of Austin, TX; three brothers, Raymond Urban and wife Sharon of Cleburne, TX, John Urban and wife June of La Crescenta, CA, and Clarence Urban of Seal Beach, CA; sister-in-law, Carmen Urban (wife of Tony Urban) of Burbank, CA. Jo Ann was preceded in death by her husband Richard Byrd, her parents; sisters, Rose Urban, Billy Pearl Webb, and Lillean Urban; brother, Tony Urban; and grandson, Matthew Ducharme.

Jo Ann took great care to ensure that her family would aspire to be of great character by inspiring them with pithy sayings that she placed around her home such as "It's nice to be important...but it's more important to be nice." Jo Ann took her role as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother to be very important and always thought of others before herself, which was indeed very nice.


Family requests memorial contributions be made to University Heights Baptist Church in c/o Dighton-Marler Funeral Home, 5106 N. Washington, Stillwater, OK, 74075.

Condolences may be sent to the family via an online guestbook at www.dightonmarler.com