Mrs. JoAnn Echols' Obituary
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." - Psalm 23:6
JoAnn Echols entered into eternal rest, at the age 81, on February 2nd, 2024.
JoAnn was born to Acy and Beatrice Graham in Port Arthur, TX on January 4th, 1943. She attended Lincoln High School and then went on to attend Prairie View A&M University where she graduated with a Bachelor's in History in 1964. It was during this time that she met her future husband of 59 years, Ewell Echols.
JoAnn had a tremendous passion for education and literacy which was reflected in her choice to serve as an English teacher and librarian for the Houston Independent School District.
She started her long career in education in 1967, at Edison Middle School where she served as an English teacher for over a decade. She then served as Chair of the English Department at the High School for Law Enforcement. During her time at HISD she achieved a Master's of Business Administration at Texas Southern University and a Master's in Library Science at Prairie View A&M University. Using the latter degree, she went on to serve as a school librarian at Condit Elementary School, Sterling High School, Lanier Middle School, and Black Middle School, from which she retired in 2000. Following her retirement, she continued to work and volunteer at school libraries, encouraging student literacy.
In addition to being a beloved and dedicated educator, JoAnn was an enthusiastic gardener and decorator. Together with her husband, she cultivated a creative and expressive home garden. The two also renovated and redesigned the beautiful home that they shared together for 48 years. JoAnn also loved to travel and visited the majority of US states during her lifetime with her husband and son.
Her family, friends, and students will remember her as a caring wife, mother, mentor, and confidant. She was preceded in death by her parents Acy Sr. and Beatrice, and her brother Acy Jr. She is survived by her husband Ewell, sister Carolyn, son Evan, and daughter-in-law Mara.
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