Betty Jo Beard, 95, of Bowling Green, KY, passed away on Friday, July 24, 2026. She was born on March 1, 1931 in Harrodsburg, KY to the late Roy E. and Nell Douglas Gaddie. A devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; an avid golfer, a bridge player, and a Purple. Betty Jo Beard was all of these things, and more. How do you begin to sum up a life so full? Or, to borrow a phrase used to describe another steadfast and strong-willed woman: “How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?”
Above all, Betty Jo was a woman of faith. A lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church, she had faith not only in a loving and generous God, but also in her fellow man. She believed that each of us has been endowed by our Creator with distinct gifts — the ability to motivate, to nurture, to create art, to play, to heal — and that it is our responsibility to put those gifts to work for the betterment of others. More than that, Betty Jo lived her faith, shoring up the foundation of this community with seemingly-inexhaustible fervor. She used her influence and energy to create opportunities for the youth in this region, championed causes for women and children through local non-profits, and cultivated fellowship within her church congregation, all while nurturing the ambitions of her ever-growing family by attending every game or recital or reading with enthusiasm.
Betty Jo taught us how important it is to show up and show out for the people you love — and to do so with joy in your heart. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, yes, but she was more than that. Like the clouds, you can’t quite pin her down, and nor would you want to. She is a feeling, a spirit, a force. That’s her legacy. Her story lives on so long as we do all we can with what we’ve been given.
Betty Jo is a graduate of Bowling Green High school and earned her Bachelor’s degree from Randolph Macon Woman’s College in Virginia.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband Monie Beard and sister Jamie Gaddie Higgins.
She is survived by two sons, Roy Beard (Mary Anne) of Bowling Green, KY and Doug Beard (Cathy) of Bowling Green, KY, two daughters, Page Beard of Bowling Green, KY and Sandy Hockensmith (Kent) of Jamestown, KY. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren, twenty seven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
The family will accept visitors on Monday, July 27th at The Presbyterian Church from 2-7PM and on Tuesday, July 28th 9-10:30AM with a service at 10:30AM. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the Monie Beard College Scholarship Fund at Bowling Green High School, The Presbyterian Church or Warren County Parks & Recs.
Services have been entrusted into J.C. Kirby & Son Lovers Lane Chapel.