Stroud, Oklahoma - On April 23, 2025, Josephine Sperry was called home to take brisk, arm-swinging walks with Jesus. We imagine God is now blessing her path each day with old oak trees, wildflowers, the smell of fresh cut hay, a family of cardinals, and a cow bellowing in the distance. If they venture too far, a completely restored PT Cruiser will roll in for the return trip, which, of course, will include a stop to get the mail. "Granny Jo" as she was known to her grandchildren, would say that is the perfect walk.

Josephine May Woods Sperry ("Jo" or "Granny" to most) was born on September 12, 1931, in Shattuck Oklahoma. The second of Chester (Chet) and Veta Grace (Grace) Woods' six children, she grew up milking cows, shocking broom corn, and tending chickens on the family farm northwest of Gage, Oklahoma. She attended Gage High School where she acted in school plays, sang in the choir, and played on the basketball team. In 1949, after a year at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Jo fell in love with the rural route mailman - the handsome, good humored, slightly older Calvin Wyatt Sperry, who had recently returned from serving in the Navy in the Pacific theater of World War II. After a brief courtship, Calvin told Jo that he didn't think he could love anyone as much as his mom, but with her he did. They married in the fall of 1949. She brought to the marriage a singular ability to replicate her mom's delicious cinnamon rolls, which she served on special occasions for over 70 years.

Jo and Calvin lived in the Gage area, maintaining a rural mail route for years and eventually settling on a farm north of town. In 1952, they were blessed with their first child, Sharla. Sidney arrived in 1956, Sabrina in 1965 and Stuart in 1968. In addition to delivering mail and raising her children, Jo later worked as a bank teller in Gage and Shattuck. After Calvin's sudden death in 1973, Jo remarried and moved with Sabrina and Stuart to northern Nebraska. Although their nine years in Nebraska proved to be a challenging time, it was here that Jo developed a deep and personal relationship with her savior, Jesus Christ; a relationship which was nurtured through Bible study with a group of women who became life-long friends. She recognized God's provision and protection and maintained joy, hope and a gentle spirit in the face of adversities, which has been an enduring example of Christ for her children and anyone who knew her. The Sandhills of Nebraska demanded hard work - building fence, working and driving cattle, shoveling snow - with a rich return of abundant wildlife, gently flowing rivers and canyon streams, wild berries, and peaceful prairie land. Jo embraced the good and beauty in all of this.

She returned to Oklahoma in 1983, working as a secretary to the high school principal in Cherokee, and then another stint at one of the local banks where she worked into her 70s. After retiring, she had a small home built on Sharla's property outside Stroud where she relished her quiet days watching birds come to her feeder, reading, tending her yard, taking vigorous walks (with, of course, a stop at the mailbox), volunteering at the local food pantry, and doting on her grandkids. Granny Jo's life reflected her favorite Bible verses - she was content in all circumstances (Philippians 4:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 10:13), and she treated others as she wished to be treated (Matthew 7:12).

Jo is survived by her children Sharla Drake (Tom) of Stroud, Oklahoma; Sidney Sperry (Lisa) of Guthrie, Oklahoma; Sabrina Renfrew (James) of Yakima, Washington; Stuart Sperry (Stacie) of Fairfax, Virginia, 17 beloved grandchildren (and spouses), 29 great grandchildren (and spouses), and one great-great grandchild; sisters Sonya Hamilton and Sue Pittman (Bill), and brother Vance Woods (Beverly); and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. In addition to her parents and husband Calvin, Jo was preceded in death by sisters Jacqueline Wanger and Wynola Fields and their spouses Lloyd and Jerry.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Billings Funeral Home, 1621 Downs Ave., Woodward, Oklahoma, with visitation from 10 a.m. to noon. Burial will follow the memorial service at the Fairmont Cemetery in Follett, Texas. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in memory of Josephine Sperry to the Stroud Food Pantry, Inc., 211 N. 3rd Ave., Stroud, Oklahoma 74079.