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April 22, 1936 – Feb. 2, 2022

JACKSON – Betty Jo Flowers Treppendahl peacefully passed away at her home in Madison, Mississippi on Feb. 2, 2022, at the age of 85. A celebration honoring her life will be held at the Fairview Inn in Jackson, MS on Feb. 11, 2022 from 2 until 5 p.m. A short memorial service will begin at 3 p.m. and be followed by a reception for family and friends.

Betty Jo was born on April 22, 1936, in Carlisle, MS to George Washington Flowers and Nannie Mae Owens Flowers. She moved to the Heuck’s Retreat community in Brookhaven at an early age and graduated from the Heuck’s Retreat School.

A 1956 graduate of Copiah Lincoln Community College, Betty Jo was selected as a campus favorite, Homecoming Queen and Most Beautiful. She represented Co-Lin on the Colette dance team, performing at the National American Legion convention in Washington, D.C. and on the Ed Sullivan Toast of the Town Show in Mobile, Alabama. Following graduation, she served as Colette director from 1957 until 1968. In 2009, she was honored with induction into the Co-Lin Colette and Band Hall of Fame.

Betty Jo was a pioneer in the insurance and medical malpractice industry, founding the Professional Insurance Agency, one of the first privately-owned, female insurance businesses in Brookhaven. Her trailblazing efforts for women in insurance continued as she relocated to Jackson, working for St. Paul Insurance and ultimately, retiring as the Director of Marketing and Assistant Vice President to the Virginia Insurance Reciprocal. Ever the consummate businesswoman, Betty Jo continued her professional endeavors in the insurance industry post retirement, founding Professional Administrative Services, a limited liability company dedicated to supporting numerous hospitals, insurance and workers’ compensations boards.

While Betty Jo made a significant mark as a career woman, those who knew her would attest she was equally as passionate about her life as a mother, grandmother, friend and entertainer. In the years following her retirement, Betty Jo relocated to Woodville, where she loved hosting parties and gatherings both large and small, always ready to greet her company with a great story and a good cocktail. She also could be found in Oxford, cheering on the Ole Miss Rebels with her beloved grandchildren or at her condo’s pool in Orange Beach catching up with friends. Eventually taking up residence on the golf course’s “Hole #3” in Madison, she was seen most days zipping around on her golf cart with her dog, Sophie. Betty Jo loved life and those who knew her during her life, loved her dearly.

Betty Jo appreciated her friends with such warmth and sincerity that everyone felt as if she were their family. However, that special honor was preserved for her late husband, Billy Ray Stewart, beloved son, Billy “Greg” Gregory Stewart, and grandsons, Austin and Jacob Stewart (Jordan). She also had the blessing of a second family in the Treppendahls, as she was also proceeded in death by her late husband, Adolph Wettlin Treppendahl in 2002. She remained close to her stepson, A. Wettlin Treppendahl, Jr., his wife, Sally, and their children Betsy Ewing (Brad) Susan LeBlanc (Blake), and Wettlin Treppendahl III (Emily). In addition to her grandchildren, Betty Jo was blessed with eight great-grandchildren Elliott, John Oliver, Sally, Ann Baine, James, Louis, Eliza, Wettlin IV, and William (due in March). She is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, George and Shirley Flowers.

She was a faithful member of St Columb’s Episcopal Church in Ridgeland and kept close ties to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Woodville.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Copiah Lincoln Community College Foundation or St. Columb’s Episcopal Church.