Billie Frances

Hendrix

Billie Frances Hendrix was born on November 25, 1928 in Delight, Arkansas to Bessie and Frank Lowery and went to our Lord peacefully early Sunday morning, September 20, 2026.

Frances grew up in Delight, Arkansas with her younger brother, Charles. Tragically, her mother died when she was a young girl of 11 and her brother Charles was 5. Her life changed greatly when she moved in with her grandparents to help take care of them.

She took on a lot of responsibilities of the household with cooking, cleaning and helping her grandparents and her younger brother. She lost many of her childhood memories at that early age. When she was 16, she met a wonderful young man at local church revival. His name was Lewis Kenneth Hendrix. He became quite smitten with her and they got married on December 23, 1944. She was only 16 and Kenneth was 19, they lied about her age and he had to borrow $3.00 so they could get married by the justice of the peace. Frances and Kenneth were married for almost 50 years as he died at the young age of 69.

In 1953, Kenneth and Frances made the move to Oregon for better job opportunities with their daughter, Gail who was 7 at the time and unknowingly was pregnant , and gave birth to their daughter Cherie in 1953. Their son, Mark, was born in 1956.

After they arrived in Gold Beach Oregon, they knew this is where they wanted to stay and live. There were many other people from Arkansas who also traveled to Oregon and also settled there, including her sister-in-law, Mary and friends, Edna & Romie Riley. They started holding church services at people's houses to worship our Lord. Frances and Kenneth helped build the church on 11th Street and were founding members of the Church of Christ in Gold Beach.

Frances' faith and her love of the Lord was very strong and was baptized in the Rogue River in 1954. She raised her children to love the Lord and made sure they went to church services every Sunday. She also was very involved with vacation bible school for many years.

Frances and Ken bought property up Jerry's Flat Road and built their forever home in 1959.

They worked together building the house with help from friends. Frances was an integral part of their house becoming a home for her family.

Frances worked at many restaurants in the early years in Gold Beach. She was a waitress and cook. She was a wonderful cook. She also was involved with hospital auxiliary for years and helped with their fundraisers throughout the years.

Frances had many talents and taught herself to sew and crochet. She loved crafts and made jewelry. She also helped Kenneth with his myrtle wood projects. She made beautiful pieces of art, especially her Christmas tree made from jewelry and framed it in a myrtle wood frame made by Kenneth for her. It is a precious family heirloom that hung over the fireplace. She enjoyed her flowers and flower garden very much. Her favorite flower was roses and she loved hummingbirds.

Frances loved holidays, especially Christmas. This was her favorite holiday. She decorated right after Thanksgiving and even sometimes before. She decorated the inside and outside with lights and all kinds of decorations. She started an Ornament Exchange Party for the ladies at the church that she held at her house at the beginning of December on a Sunday afternoon it became a tradition for many, many years for the church family. It was a wonderful fun afternoon for everyone who attended.

She always had a beautiful Christmas tree and had her little houses that lit up on the mantle above the fireplace. She so enjoyed the family gatherings with her family and there was always plenty of food and pies – my goodness the pies – she made sometimes as many as 10 pies all from scratch. She was an awesome cook with her southern flair from biscuits and gravy to deer chili. She always wanted to teach her family her recipes. She taught many a grandkid on how to make pie crust and pies.

Frances had many nicknames, Billie, Frances, Fran, and Franny and most importantly Mom and Grandma. She loved her children very much and especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her love for her family was so big and she loved her son-in-laws and daughter-in-law the same as her children. You knew she loved you and was very generous with her help and kind words.

Frances is survived by her three children and their spouses, Gail and Rick Watson, Cherie and Jim Hoyt, and Mark and Theresa Hendrix, her grandchildren Andrea & Lee Chapman, Dustin & Hayley Watson, Jason Hoyt, Chad & Kristen Hoyt, Joshua & Misty Hendrix , Alicia & Garet Ervin; her great-grandchildren, Nicole Autry, Kayla Urban, Jenna Watson, Zachary Watson, Tori Gregory, Isaiah Koenig, Kialisa Zeober, Abby Hoyt, Dominic Hendrix, Camron Hendrix, Robert Hendrix, Laylah Hendrix, Owen Ervin and Bode Ervin, and her great great grand grandchildren, Cash, Harper and Rowan.

We will miss her while we are still on earth but we know she is happy in heaven with our Lord and savior. She has been reunited with her husband, Kenneth, her mother who she missed so very much, along with many other family members. We as a family have been blessed to have had her in our lives for so long, and we look forward to when we all can be together again with her in heaven. What a day of rejoicing that will be!!!