Betty Ann Steward Atchison

Betty Ann Steward Atchison, 95, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on October 17, 2026, and it is with grateful hearts that we celebrate her love, her humor and her dedication to the hundreds of students she taught through the years.

Ann was born to Wilson and Snow Steward on March 3, 1931, in Hope Arkansas, but grew up in Oklahoma City and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1953 with a degree in Elementary Education. There, she was an active member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Upon graduation, she proudly received the Outstanding Elementary Education Student Award from OU.  Ann’s first teaching job took her to Lovington, NM, where she attended an Exxon-sponsored picnic to welcome new teachers. There, she met Henry Clay Atchison, Jr., a new Humble (now ExxonMobil) employee, who she married in 1955.

After a job transfer took the newlyweds to Midland, Ann dove right into teaching, first at Crockett Elementary, then ten years at Jack and Jill, one of the only schools at the time offering kindergarten. When the Jack n’ Jill headmaster retired and the beloved school closed in 1971, Ann did not skip a beat, turning her attention to kindergarten students at Emerson Elementary and then Rusk Elementary. Her teaching career culminated at First Baptist Church Child Development Center, where she taught preschool. Ann had a very gentle and quiet spirit, but her years of teaching also ingrained in her a unique ability to discipline students by shooting a firm “eye” that spoke volumes about her expectations!

Outside of teaching, Ann supported the community well, having volunteered for Boy Scouts, Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Area Methodist Outreach Service (AMOS) and CASA de Amigos where she was a tutor. All along, she was an active member of Exxon Wives Club and St Luke’s United Methodist Church, and in her later years, she was active at First United Methodist Church and not only lived at Manor Park, but also enthusiastically held several volunteer roles there.

Ann is preceded in death by her parents and husband Clay. She is survived by sons Clay III (Cynthia), and Craig (Susan). She was grandmother to Jared (Samantha), Heath (Julia) and Luke Atchison; Caroline and Kyle Atchison; and great grandmother to Jared’s girls, Madelyn, Eleanor and Aurora Atchison.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Amy Rios and her staff for the loving care given to Ann toward the end of her life.

There will be a family graveside service. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in the name of Betty Ann Atchison to Manor Park, 5212 Sinclair Ave, Midland, TX 79707.

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