Betty Jo Wilcox

BETTY JO WILCOX

Iowa City

Betty Jo Sheeley Wilcox lived a life filled with music, family, church and creativity, at times combining all into a single event. Through nine decades of life, she modeled for family and friends a divine spark of love, hospitality and a

commitment to excellence. The matriarch of a large family of six boys, 18 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren, Betty Jo died on Oct. 18, 2021, at the age of 99.

Born into the musical family of Ray and Lotia (Arney) Sheeley on Aug. 13, 1922, in Marshalltown, Iowa, Betty Jo was surrounded by music and Methodism. A short, yet scrappy guard on the MHS women's basketball team, Betty Jo went on to attend Drake University and graduated from Cornell College with degrees in music and drama. She even thought about continuing her musical studies and pursuing a career in opera.

Instead, Betty Jo chose to devote the next 45 years to her husband, the Rev. Dr. Wilbur F. Wilcox, and to his calling as a United Methodist minister. She also quickly became a mother, with the birth of five boys over a 12-year period: Mark, David, Joel, Paul and Daniel Wilcox. She would later add a foster son to the mix, Bruce Greene. Through diapers, report cards, graduations, wedding and PEO, Betty Jo led church choirs, Christmas programs, Sunday Schools and chicken suppers at churches in Harcourt, Montour, Maquoketa, Des Moines, Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City. And she started handbell choirs everywhere she landed. She became a nationally known figure in handbell ringing circles, elected to the regional board of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers in the late 1960s and 70's. So much music, as she would say, "to the glory of God!"

In retirement, Betty Jo and Wilbur restored an aging Victorian mansion in the Sherman Hill District of Des Moines, opening their home for tours and hospitality. It became the place for family Easters, Thanksgivings, and Christmases. Shortly after her beloved husband died in 2004, Betty Jo moved to Iowa City where, for 15 years, she continued to support her Church and to bring family together for the holidays. She always felt compelled to feed everyone coming to her home. "Are you hungry? Have you had anything to eat?" came with her initial greeting. Up to her last days, she filled our tummies with cinnamon rolls and our hearts with love.

A memorial service for Betty Jo will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 28, at the First United Methodist Church in Iowa City. Indoor COVID-19 prevention protocols will be practiced throughout the service. Interment of Betty Jo's ashes will take place at 1 p.m. Dec. 29, at Riverside Cemetery, 611 N. Center St., in Marshalltown, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in her memory to the First United Methodist Church, Iowa City, IA 52245.