Ida Jo Holley, who with her husband Bill Holley owned and operated Lampasas Livestock Auction for many years, died on Oct. 6, 2024. She was 94.
Visitation with the family will be held Oct. 31 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Sneed-Carnley Funeral Chapel in Lampasas.
Services will take place Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. at Lampasas Methodist Church. Graveside services will follow at 3 p.m. at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Mrs. Holley was born on March 4, 1930, in Cherokee to Ben and Esther Ray Broyles, the sixth of seven children.
She graduated from Cherokee High School in 1948 as salutatorian of her class. She then attended business school in Brownwood.
Jo married Otis Hopson in 1950 in San Saba. After selling their place in San Saba County, the couple bought the Charles Cole ranch on the Lampasas River. This was the beginning of the Rocking H Ranch.
Hopson was forced to seek other work in the early 1960s due to a severe drought. He was killed on the job in Kiowa, Oklahoma on Nov. 3, 1960. With three young children to raise, Jo continued the farming and ranching operations in Lampasas.
On Nov. 16, 1962, she married Bill Holley from Florence. In 1963, they added a daughter to the family.
Along with running the ranch, Holley was an auctioneer. He worked in many sale barns throughout Texas. Jo maintained the daily responsibilities of home, children and the ranch.
In subsequent years, she joined her husband and was employed by both Belton and Lampasas Livestock Auctions as the master ticket writer.
In 1980, the Holleys bought Lampasas Livestock Auction. Jo was an integral part of the administrative and personnel decisions. On sale day, she enjoyed her relationships with the buyers, sellers and associates in the office.
The Holleys also were instrumental in the success of the Lampasas Youth Livestock Association. They loved encouraging the youth for their hard work on projects and receiving a profitable reward.
The couple were married for 44 years until his death.
Mrs. Holley loved being a cheerleader for her children's and grandchildren's activities. She rarely missed an opportunity to be an encourager for her family.
She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Lampasas and served on the Bereavement and Finance committees. She also was a member of the Thursday Luncheon Club and served on the board of Central Texas College. She volunteered in the Kempner precinct as a poll worker during elections.
Mrs. Holley also was an advocate for Cherokee Boys Home, First United Methodist Boys Home in Waco, and St. Jude Children's Hospital.
She was preceded in death by her husbands Otis Hopson and Bill Holley; her son Britt Hopson; brothers Delworth, Alton and Bill Ray Broyles; and a sister, Wanda Houston.
She is survived by her daughter, Shirlene (Al) Bishop of Spicewood; son, Hilton (DeMar) Hopson of Lampasas; daughter, Chris (Jim) Whorley of Temple; daughter-in-law, Myrlanne Hopson Davis of Kempner; a brother, Ben (Sue) Broyles of New Braunfels; grandchildren Allyson Winslow and Ryan Bishop, Misty Hallisey and Monica Wykes, Chad and Chase Hopson, Jason and Braxton Harris, Krista Reynolds, Heath Hopson, Marshall Whorley and Holley Yazbeck; and great-grandchildren Kate, Jack and Elle Winslow, Camille, Caroline, Corder and Mary Catherine Bishop, Brooke and Cameron Hallisey, Brogan and Sydni Wykes, Braeden, Avery and Bry Hopson, Chance and Carter Hopson, Mackenzie and Emerson Harris, Collins and Bentley Harris, James Buchannan Whorley and Jo Elizabeth Whorley.
