Jo Ann Walker

Jo Ann Walker passed away at age 85 on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at Hermann Memorial in Pearland. A joint memorial service and celebration of life honoring both Jo Ann Dean and Robert James Walker will be held on Friday, March 29 at 2:00 pm at Friendswood Methodist Church in Wesley Hall, 110 N Friendswood Dr., Friendswood, TX 77546. The family will receive guests during the reception after the service.

Jo Ann was born on January 18, 1938, to Cordis Atwell Dean and Ruby Margaret Hammond in Hillsboro, Texas. She married Robert Walker in December 1955 during her Senior year of High School and proceeded to graduate in 1956 forth in her class along with Robert’s sister, Sondra.

Jo Ann had a 35-year career working for Humble Oil & Refining Co. (later becoming Exxon) that began in 1960 at the North Texas Terminal in Dallas as a Clerk Stenographer. Having grown up poor, Jo Ann was very ambitious and determined to have a better life. She attained her Professional Secretary Certification and attended college at night in pursuit of a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in Marketing, where she completed 97 hours. Jo Ann held varying positions with increasing responsibility until she retired as a Paralegal in 1995.

Jo Ann and Robert were also interested in buying property foreclosures and fixer-uppers to renovate and rent as investments. They had 6 or more properties at one time to maintain and eventually began refinancing and selling them for their retirement. The couple enjoyed visiting the Rio Grande Valley and purchased a condominium on South Padre Island in the late 1990s then moved to Laguna Vista in 2005. Jo Ann always had a deep affection for animals and often took in strays or rescued them from the pound. When she was able, she actively volunteered with local animal rescue organizations, such as the Laguna Madre Humane Society and Isabel Y. Garcia Animal Shelter in Port Isabel.

Jo Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Robert J. Walker; parents, Cordis A. Dean and Ruby M. Dean; and son, Donald J. Walker.

Survivors include her daughter, Crystal W. Haddock and her husband, Maxwell D. Haddock of Pearland; and two beloved grandchildren, Cobe Haddock and Mikaleigh Haddock of Pearland.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in her honor. https://www.aspca.org/ways-to-give