Jo Ellen Jarvis McCarty, 89, passed away peacefully on November 7, 2020, in Conroe, Texas. Jo Ellen was born in the small West Texas town of Post in 1931 and spent her life caring for her late husband and daughter. Jo Ellen was known for her wicked sense of humor and a look that would freeze even the toughest man in his tracks. As stubborn as she was brilliant, Jo Ellen was a creative, spending thousands of hours sewing and painting gorgeous landscapes and ceramics. She golfed alongside her husband until his body wouldn’t allow it any longer, and she loved to tend to her flowerbeds and vegetable garden, a relic from her father. In her senior years, Jo Ellen and Billy logged thousands of miles traveling to theme parks nationwide in their fifth wheel with their grandchildren. The McCartys were active congregation members at Woodland Hills Church of Christ since their move to Conroe in 1980.
Jo Ellen is survived by her three loving grandchildren – Darcie Robert of Austin, Caitlin Stevens of Brooklyn, and Nathan Stevens of Galveston – and four great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, as well as her incredible and tireless caregiver, Jessica York of Conroe. She is preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Billy Joe McCarty; her parents, Garland and Cleo Jarvis, whom she cared for selflessly in their last years; brother Garland Lynn Jarvis of Lubbock; and beloved daughter, Deborah Lynn Stevens, who left us far too early in 1996.
Jo Ellen will be laid to rest next to her husband in a private service with family due to the ongoing pandemic. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for any contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association in her name. She will be sorely missed.
