Jo Burrow (Betty Joan Bailey) was born June 28, 1942 on Wall Street in Wheatland, Missouri to Ruth Violet (Hood) Bailey and (Henry) Arthur Bailey. She passed away on September 29, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jo’s parents moved to Los Angeles, California when she was an infant. They moved back to Roscoe, Missouri when she was a seven. At age 12 she moved in with “Grandma Margaret Pasley” (Dale Pasley’s grandmother) and helped take care of her several years. She attended elementary school at Roscoe and high school in Osceola, Missouri (class of 1960). Jo married Robert Hawkins in December 1958 and to this union four children were born: Angela Marie, Steven Lee, David Alan, and Craig Neal. They lived in Monegaw Springs and later rural Lowry City. On September 25, 1970, she married Delbert Ray Burrow at Valley Center Church and one child, Brandon Burrow, was born. Seven of the couple’s children lived together on the farm in rural Lowry City (Chalk Level).
Growing up, Jo only longed to have a family to raise and love. Her family became her main passion. Not only was her family her passion, but also helping children in general. In 1968, her daughter Angela came home and asked her mom if she could join the 4-H Club which was just being organized. Jo agreed to teach Clothing (sewing). This decision would lead to a 48 year dedication to the Missouri 4-H youth programs. Over the 48 years she has led and taught hundreds of children to cook, sew, craft, leadership and endless other projects and life skills.
Beyond her leadership in the 4-H program, Jo loved to cook and bake for her family, friends and everyone. Her reputation especially for her baking talents is known far beyond St. Clair County. Jo was always willing to donate pies or cakes for fundraisers and bake sales, and her pies and cakes have been known to bring top dollar at auction. Jo and Delbert also had their own food service business for 9 years called “The Mobile Menu” and served food for the Pasley Auction Company.
She loved collecting cookbooks, cookie jars, and cookie cutters. She also was well-known for her doll collections. She was very poor growing up and so she enjoyed the dolls and toys as an adult. She loved traveling. The entire family (sometimes all 10) would take vacations out west to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Canada among other places.
Jo Burrow was preceded in death by her parents Ruth Reynolds and Arthur Bailey, step-father Thomas Reynolds; sisters Patricia Ann Bailey and Mary Alice Hammond; her son David Alan Hawkins.
She is survived by her husband, Delbert Ray Burrow, Lowry City, her Uncle Richard Hood of Utah, Aunt Irene (Hood) Shepherd of Newbury Park, California, her sister Joyce Dantes and Ed of Osceola, Missouri, sister Pamela Dutcher and Larry of Roscoe, Missouri, Eleanor Masten of Osceola, Missouri, brother F.L. “Tony” Reynolds of Osceola, Missouri, her children, Angela (Hawkins) Haywood and husband Mike Haywood of McAlester, Oklahoma, Steven Lee Hawkins of Osceola, Missouri, Craig Neal Hawkins and wife Ardith of Morrisville, Missouri, Brandon Shane Burrow of Riverside, California, Step-son Stephen Ray Burrow and wife Myra of Osceola, Missouri, David Wayne Burrow and wife Debbie of Brownington, Missouri, Lori (Burrow) Watson and husband Kevin of Fountain Hills, Arizona; grandchildren Aja Dean, Alyssa Hawkins, Kaitlyn Wood, Kendra Boonyakiti, Kyle Hawkins, Rebekah Hawkins, Ethan Hawkins, Alivia Key, Taylor Hawkins, Jon Burrow, Carrie Amman, Chelsie Ammann, Aspen Hill, Devin Burrow, 12 great-grandchildren, loving nieces and nephews, cousins, and endless friends and her 4-H family.
Leave a Reply