Jo Elaine Stewart Maxwell, a prominent figure in the East Texas Oil Field for almost 60 years, passed away in her home on September 5, 2026. Affectionately known as “JoJo” to her friends and family, she was born in Dekalb, Texas to William Cecil Stewart and Zella Oniece Allen Stewart on September 21, 1934.

JoJo exhibited her strong work ethic at an early age, when she began selling popcorn at the local movie theatre at eleven years old. Although she didn’t earn any money, she got to see movies for free, an experience which introduced her to the world outside of her small farming community.

In the early fifties, she found her calling when she was offered a job as a bookkeeper for a large insurance company in Dallas. She loved the precision of the work and often said there were no gray areas in bookkeeping—it’s either right or wrong.

Her introduction to the oil field came when she was hired to keep books for Tom Cook Jr., an independent oil man in Longview. A few years later she worked for Gulf Oil in West Texas; and in 1960, she settled in Kilgore, where she kept books for John Baton and a number of other independent operators.

In December of 1972, she opened her own bookkeeping and report service; and most of her clients were in the oil business. She set out to learn everything she could about the East Texas field and was soon making profitable investments of her own. As she said, “It wasn’t easy being one of the few women in a male-dominated business;” but investors and oil field workers alike soon became accustomed to seeing her on a drilling site—wearing the latest fashions with her trademark high heels! Her encyclopedic knowledge of the oil field soon earned her the respect of everyone in the business.

She was the past president and CEO of Mustang Operating Company and Signal Well Service, Inc., succeeding her beloved husband, the late Fred Thomas Maxwell. At her death, she was the president of J.E. Stewart Operating Company and JSM Production and the general partner of JOMAX, LP.

JoJo was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where she served as treasurer from 1997 to 2024. She also served on the board of the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce, the Kilgore Improvement and Beautification Association and the former Meadowbrook Country Club. She was also a sustaining member of the Republication Women of Gregg County, the Republican Party of Texas and the National Republican Committee. In addition, she was a lifetime member of the Kilgore Historical Preservation Society, the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the Texas State Rifle Association, as well as the Sheriff’s Association of Texas.

She is survived her sister, Marsha Taylor of Longview; daughters, Dr. Sharman Johnston of Lake Cherokee, KK Ash of Longview and Randi Desnoes of Indian Wells, California; six grandchildren: Kathleen Cochran and Luke Johnston of Longview, Blaise Desnoes Griggs of Ogden, Utah, and Brigitte, Cameron, and Christian Desnoes of California, five Great-grandchildren: Ellie and Ann Cochran of Longview, and Parker, August Edward, and Georgia Griggs of Ogden, Utah and four special cousins: Lee Anderson and Erin Allen of Fort Worth and Lynn and Martha Alice Boatner of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Celebration of Life service for Jo Elaine Stewart Maxwell will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, September 12, 2026 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with Father John Carr officiating. Private family interment to follow at Lakeview Memorial Gardens Mausoleum. Family will receive friends from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM Friday at Rader Funeral Home in Kilgore.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 314 N. Henderson Blvd, Kilgore, Texas 75662 or Rahab’s Retreat and Ranch, 3607 Stone Road, Kilgore, Texas 75662.

The family would like to express their gratitude and appreciation to JoJo’s very special caregiver Tracy Waldon and the exceptional staff of both Heartsway Hospice and Visiting Angels.