Billie Jo Pals (85) of Teutopolis

Billie Jo Montgomery Pals, 85 years and 7 days, embroiderer extraordinaire, quilt maker, bartender, homemaker, expert storyteller, jill-of-all-trades, daughter, sister, wife, mom, grandma, G-G, and friend, died Sunday, March 12, 2017 after a long illness.

A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, March 17 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Teutopolis, with burial in St. Francis Cemetery. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to services Friday morning at the church. Flowers are certainly welcome, however, you might consider planting a tree or taking your family out for a Sunday drive and supper. Billie would love that. Bauer Funeral Home in Teutopolis is assisting the family with arrangements.

Online condolences may be left by clicking here.

Billie Jo was born March 5, 1932 in Cold Water, Missouri, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. She was the second of seven children born to Albert Utley Montgomery and Nettie Hovis Montgomery. The adventures she shared about her parents, sisters; Hattie, Peggy, Bonnie, brothers; Tom, Connie, and Dennis, through her great gift of story telling, would have made Mark Twain, himself a southern Missouri native, proud. Billie Jo married William Paul Pals on July 6, 1957 and spent 55 years sharing their lives together until his death in 2012. They were partners in Bill and Billie’s Tavern on Main St. in Teutopolis from 1963 to 1971. Together they were a fixture at all the town functions and volunteered for years at various charitable events. Billie had the ability to strike up a conversation with anyone. She was a champion of the friendless and could make a stranger a friend in a few short minutes. Children were especially drawn to her, which was a testament to her character. However, she never suffered fools. Billie hung out the cleanest laundry in the neighborhood. Her motto was “we may not have much but my kids are always clean and well fed.” Supper was not an option, everyone set down at 5. Being a Christian, she instilled the 7 virtues in all her kids. She was brutally honest and never allowed her children to be anything but. The example she set worked well. One of Billie’s favorite things her and her husband loved to do was to take the kids on Sunday drives. Never knowing where the journey would end, one thing was for sure; they always stopped to eat at a different restaurant where the kids could order anything off the menu. The highlight of the year was the family’s “vacation” to the rodeo in Palestine IL. Billie would fry up a chicken or two for the occasion, make her potato salad (grandpa Pals loved Billie Jo’s potato salad), Bill would then stop at their favorite spot so the family could enjoy a picnic.

Billie’s legacy to keep her memory alive are her four sons, Ronnie Lee (Chris) Dorsey of Trunstadt, Germany, William Carl (Donna) Pals of Teutopolis, Allen Paul Pals of Bloomington, Kevin Thomas (Diane) Pals of Montrose; one daughter, Cynthia Jo (Monique) Pals of Nashua, NH.; five grandchildren, Thomas Dorsey of Compton, CA., Angela Cynthia  Bowers of Walsdorf, Germany, Denise Christine Pennock of Bamberg, Germany, Melissa Jerene Belford and Lacey Jo Niemeyer, both of Teutopolis; twelve great-grandchildren, Shawon, Michelle, Dominique, Seth, Paisley, Colt, Logan, Cali, Tinley, Alexa, Duke, and Rikki.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bill; two daughters, Brenda and Mary and one sister, Hattie.