Joan Laurette (Harper) Davis

Funeral service for Joanne Laurette Harper Davis, 81, will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, November 20, 2023, at Christ Episcopal Church in Nacogdoches, Texas with Rev. Gary Hill and Deacon Wanda Cuniff presiding.

Joanne (pronounced “Joan”) was born in Oklahoma City on October 27, 1942 to Ernest and Evelyn Harper. In 1948, they settled in Bartlesville, OK, where Mr. Harper worked as a petroleum engineer. As adorable twins, Jeanne and Joanne were doted upon as children, studying ballet and piano. They swam competitively with the Philips 66 Splash Club, graduating from Bartlesville College High School in 1960. They were cheerleaders at Tulsa University and went on to earn their BS in Medical Technology from the University of Oklahoma in 1964 where they were members of Kappa Delta sorority.

While at OU, Joanne met a handsome graduate student, Dale Davis; they were married on February 20, 1965. They eventually settled in Lubbock, Texas where Dr. Davis was a professor of English at Texas Tech University for thirty years. Joanne worked as a medical technologist for several years. She also pioneered the Lamaze Natural Childbirth method in Lubbock. With incredible strength, skill, and compassion, Joanne helped their son, Alan, to cope with the debilitating disease of Muscular Dystrophy, serving as his advocate in the school system until the day he died. 

After Alan’s death, Joanne reached out to help other boys in need. With training, she shifted careers, becoming a Master Instructor of Dyslexia, teaching children at the Scottish Rite Learning Center in Lubbock for many years. Later she successfully instituted the program for Adult Dyslexia Education at the Lubbock Coalition for Literacy. In 1999 and 2000, Joanne traveled to Shenyang, China to lead seminars coaching other teachers of dyslexic students. Joanne and Dale moved to Nacogdoches in 2005 to be near their daughter, Debra, and family. They enjoyed helping with their grandchildren and attending SFA’s music concerts and recitals.

Throughout her life, Joanne was devoutly involved in church work and had a passion for  learning and teaching about religious history and traditions. Her calling in life was to help others, especially those not as fortunate. She was a spiritual mentor for many and  member of the Episcopal church, serving as senior warden four times, a lay reader and eucharistic minister, Alpha course leader, and President of Church Women. She organized prayer teams, pastoral care, Cursillo groups, and spearheaded the drive to install stained glass windows in her Lubbock church, St. Christopher’s. She also led many Sunday school classes including a women’s Bible study group in her home for many years. Her Sunday school group at Christ Episcopal in Nacogdoches met for thirteen years, converting to an on-line group during the pandemic. She trained and coordinated acolytes and lay readers for most of her life. She was a member of the order of the Daughters of the King. After Dale’s death, she became a certified Spiritual Director at the Haden Institute in Asheville, NC, studying the Jungian mystical Christian tradition. She was also a member of Daughters of the American Revolution.

Ms. Davis died on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, in Longview, Texas. She is survived by her daughter, Debra Scott and husband GW, of Nacogdoches; grandchildren, Rachel Scott of Durham, North Carolina, and Jordan Scott of Nacogdoches; brother-in-law, Joe Zeman; nieces, Cheryl Zeman-Egebrecht and Carrie Zeman all of Norman, Oklahoma. Ms. Davis was preceded in death by her son, Alan Kent Davis (1988), her husband, Dale Waverly Davis (2008), and her identical twin sister, Jeanne Zeman (2018).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: Christ Episcopal Church, 1430 N. Mound St., Nacogdoches, TX, 75961, https://www.christchurch-nacogdoches.org/give or St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church 2807 42nd Street, Lubbock, TX, 79413, www.stchristophers.org.

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