JoAnn B. Hallmark's Obituary
JoAnn Hallmark, 83, of Arnold, Maryland, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2023, transitioning to her new residence with the Lord. She was at home, surrounded by her family. Born on September 1, 1940, in Brookhaven, Mississippi, JoAnn is survived by her husband of 52 years, Billy Joe (B.J.) Hallmark; her son, Andy Hallmark (Micelle), of Arnold, Maryland; and her daughter, Kathleen Brown (Sam), of La Grande, Oregon. She also leaves behind three grandchildren and two great grandchildren in Oregon, Maryland, and Ohio.
JoAnn accepted Christ as her savior at the age of nine at Central Baptist Church in Brookhaven. Raised by a Christian mother who supported her through college and life challenges, including a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 23, JoAnn was a 60-year cancer survivor. She graduated from Mississippi College in 1967 and became a junior-high English and high-school Business teacher in Pascagoula, Mississippi. During her four years of teaching, she met her future husband, who was a history teacher at the time, and they married in June 1971. They became parents to their son Andy in 1973 and welcomed their daughter Kathleen in 1976.
Feeling called to serve full-time in the ministry, the Lord revealed her path to this vocation when B.J. surrendered to the pastorate in 1974 and began classes at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Over the next nine years, the couple served at churches in Pascagoula, Tupelo, and Brandon, Mississippi.
The family then felt a new call from the Lord and moved to Glasgow, Montana in 1984, where they served in ministry positions across the state for more than 30 years, starting several churches and holding denominational leadership positions. In her personal testimony, JoAnn wrote, “The older I get, the more I am sure not of what tomorrow will bring, but of the one who holds tomorrow.”
In 2016, the Lord led JoAnn and B.J. to Arnold, Maryland, to join their son and his family. B.J. became an associate pastor at Weems Creek Church in Annapolis, and JoAnn again embraced her lifelong role as a minister’s wife. The families lived together until her recent passing.
Those interested in memorial gifts please consider the following options:
If you wish to purchase flowers for the memorial, her favorite flowers were daisies.
We are going to be planting a magnolia tree in our yard as a memorial (it was her favorite tree). You can purchase gift cards to support the tree planting at
http://tinyurl.com/3ufve675
Finally, if you would prefer to donate to a non-profit organization in her honor, please give to Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child at this link: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/donation-items/operation-christmas-child-2/
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