Betty Sue Hammond passed away to be with the Lord Jesus on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at the age of 81.  She was born on January 27, 1945 in Laurel, Mississippi.  Betty was the fifth of six children of Alfred Elfie Maddox and Gladys Lucille (Peters) Maddox.  Betty was a graduate of Jones County Junior College and her first professional position was as the Secretary to the Program Manager at North American Aviation at the Mississippi Test site for the Saturn Rocket Engines used in the Apollo space program; yes, she was one of the thousands who helped put a man on the moon.  Betty also had a long and successful career at the Crown Zellerbach/James River plastic film plant in Orange, Texas where she made many lifelong friends.

Betty’s marriage to Martice (“Mart”) Holifield brought them two beautiful children: Jeremy and Tracy.  They lived in Orange, Texas for many years and spent most weekends boating, fishing, and crabbing on the Sabine River.  Betty was an avid water skier back in the day!  Betty’s passion for travel was wetted by their move to Yanbu, Saudia Arabia during Mart’s overseas assignment.  Her later marriage to John L. Hammond, Jr. allowed her to continue to travel the world, retire early, and become “Granny” to her four grandchildren: Hannah, Chase, Claire, and Courtney.  It was a responsibility she loved and cherished until the day of her passing.

Betty loved her gardens and plants, her dogs, granddogs, turtles, and Monarch butterflies.  She was also a diehard football fan and was often found on Sundays, Mondays and Thursday nights watching her favorite NFL teams (Oilers, Eagles, and Texans).  She eventually got into college football, as she could watch those games on Fridays and Saturdays.  Betty also loved baseball, especially watching Chase play in high school and college where she could often be found in the stands at both home and away games.  She traveled to Corpus Christi to watch Hannah and Courtney play soccer and was always there for Claire’s cheerleading events.

Betty also loved her extended family and friends dearly, and was still very close with her high school best friends from Mississippi.  Betty never met a stranger, always made people feel welcome, could always make you laugh, and she gave the best hugs.

Betty was a member of University Baptist Church and a lifelong Southern Baptist.  She held the love of Jesus Christ close to her heart and spoke of seeing him soon as her end drew near.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents Alfred Elfie Maddox and Gladys Lucille (Peters) Maddox, as well as her brothers Jerry Donald Maddox and John Edwin Maddox.  She is survived by her husband John L. Hammond, Jr.; her sisters Mary Jacqueline (Maddox) Handley and Clelia Ann (Maddox) Opseth; brother William (Bill) Alfred Maddox; her children, son Jeremy Kyle Holifield and his wife Honey Rachal Marie Holifield and daughter Tracy Layne (Holifield) Bourgeois; and her beloved grandchildren Hannah Rachal Marie Holifield, Chase Maddox Bourgeois, Claire Patricia Bourgeois, and Courtney Kyle Holifield.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at University Baptist Church, 16106 Middlebrook Dr., Houston, TX 77059.  Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., the funeral ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m., and a reception will follow at noon.  Interment services will be held at 3:00 p.m. at Forest Park East Cemetery, 21629 Gulf Freeway, Webster, TX.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests and welcomes donations in Betty’s name to The ALS Foundation at http://www.als.org