Dr. Joe David Ibanez

Joe David was born on February 7, 1942, to Joe David Ibanez, Sr. and Evangelina Lopez in El Paso, Texas.

Joe and his brother Raymond Ibanez were raised in Rio Grande City by their mother, Kina, who was widowed following the death of their father in the Korean War. The boys grew up surrounded by a large and loving extended family. Joe and Raymond spent their early years with their cousins; David Kellum, Dan Kellum and Ray Mendez. Their favorite pastime was playing baseball with friends and listening to baseball games on the radio while doing homework.

In high school, Joe was ranked 5th in his graduating class. As a member of the ROTC color guard and an accomplished trumpet player, he was often asked to play “Taps” for military funerals in Rio Grande City. A historic note of great meaning, after WWII, Fort Ringgold was decommissioned and given to the Rio Grande School District. Joe always felt great pride that he marched on the same grounds as his father had done as a soldier with his high school marching band.

Upon high school graduation, Joe attended the University of Texas in Austin, graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1963. While at UT, Joe was in the Army ROTC as part of a scholarship program. He also played in the Longhorn Marching Band. Interestingly, Joe was an avid ping pong player and won a campus wide tournament, for which his name is on a plaque that is still displayed. Joe successfully juggled discipline while in the ROTC, academic excellence, his love and talent for music, and athletic competitiveness by participating in intramural sports on campus. Joe would always be a diehard Longhorn fan and made the most of his time at UT.

Joe continued his education receiving a Masters in Biochemistry from The University of Missouri. At that time, he was called for duty by the U.S Army and promoted to Captain, serving as the Laboratory Director at the William Beaumont Army Hospital where he was born.

Through his studies in biochemistry, he met his mentor Dr. Juan Oro, the head of the department studying the origin of life, at the University of Houston. Joe was invited by NASA to study moon rocks returned by Apollo 11. As a part and result of that study, Joe's graduate thesis was accepted, and he was granted a PH.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Houston in 1969.

As fate would have it, Joe met the love of his life, Susan Kent Upchurch, while she was a Spanish tutor for Joe’s roommate. They married March 21,1970 at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, Texas.

Joe applied to medical school while awaiting the birth of their first child, Kent, in 1971. Meanwhile, he held a teaching position as a post-doctoral Fellow at Texas A&M University between 1971-1972 in Bryan, Texas. That year, the couple was delighted when Joe was accepted to the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio.

Upon graduating in 1976 from the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio, Joe secured a position as a pathology Resident at the Baylor School of Medicine in Houston and would complete his pathology residency at the UT Medical School in San Antonio. During these busy years he and Susan welcomed a second child, Kathleen, in 1977.

Joe then connected with Dr. Dale Hornish, a practicing Pathologist in Victoria, Texas. Dr. Al Lyster, head of Pathology, invited Joe to join the pathology group, Lyster, Hornish and Associates. Joe completed his pathology residency in May of 1980, and the family moved to Victoria, Texas.

While growing a pathology practice at Detar Hospital, Joe remained a present and encouraging father, attending all of Kent and Kathleen's school and sporting events, dance recitals, choir concerts, tennis matches, and track events, and more. He juggled being an ever present husband and father while also commuting to Port Aransas and Wharton, Texas to work in their pathology labs. On most Friday nights for a decade he could be seen cheering on Kent and Kathleen at the Victoria High School stadium rooting for the Fighting Stingarees, and Saturdays took him to Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium to cheer for the Longhorns. To his great pride, both of his children followed in his footsteps to graduate from UT, so he went to many Longhorn games.

Joe loved to travel with his family and enjoyed trips to Colorado and Utah for skiing, Disney World, Canada, road trips along the California coast, New York City, Spain for the Olympics, the Mediterranean Coast, as well as Hawaii, to name some. Closer to home he enjoyed playing tennis at the Victoria Country Club where he was a regular league member surrounded by good friends. Making friends came easy to Joe. His warm personality and inquisitive nature made conversation with anyone easy. If you wanted to talk about football, he could tell you everything there was to know about high school teams in Texas, and college teams nationwide. He was fun to talk to, and his genuine nature and loyalty made him a great friend to many.

As man of many interesting and impressive roles during his 83 years of life, his favorite was that of a grandfather. Joe spent many years commuting from Victoria where he continued practicing pathology to Austin every week. He was insistent on being present and involved in the lives of his wife, children, and eight grandchildren. He was so incredibly proud of all of them and made it top priority to be there for all performances, games and events.

Joe retired from medicine in December 2021, concluding 41 years of practicing pathology. He moved to Austin to be with Susan at their Austin home and to be an ever-present father and grandfather. He stopped by Kent and Kathleen's homes to spend time with his grandkids every week, oftentimes daily. It was a highlight to see "Papa Joe" walk through the front door for a visit. He was truly known and loved by his family, because he made an effort to be with them. Those are cherished memories that his children and grandchildren will not forget.

Joe David Ibanez, Ph.D., M.D. was preceded in death by his father, Army Captain Joe David Ibanez Sr., his mother Evangelina Lopez Ibanez Villarreal, her siblings Connie Lopez Hurley, Olivia Lopez, Encarnacion Lopez, Santos Lopez, and Mauricio Lopez of Rio Grande City and Raymond D. Ibanez, Jr. of Queens, New York. He is survived by Susan Kent Ibanez, his beloved wife of 55 years, son Kent Ernest Ibanez and wife Catherine E. Ibanez, and their children Lilyana Faye Ibanez, Cole Joseph Ibanez, Tessa Noelle Ibanez, Rowen Albert Ibanez, and Alison Paige Ibanez, his daughter Kathleen Evangeline Ibanez Arnold, her husband Brandon P. Arnold and their children Nicholas Tate Stephens, Finley Kate Arnold and Avery Evangeline Arnold all of Austin, Texas. He is also survived by his brother Raymond D. Ibanez, Sr. and his wife Magdalen M. Ibanez and their children Lauren Ibanez Billings, her husband Andrew Billings, their daughter Ava Rae Billings of San Antonio, and their son Nicholas Xavier Ibanez and his wife Emily Alvarado Ibanez of Conroe, Texas.

During one of his last days, Joe was able to have a precious visit with his brother, Raymond. That visit provided the happiness and closure needed for him to transition peacefully to his resting place in Heaven with his Creator, and with those he loved who had gone before him.

He fought the good fight, ran his race, and kept his faith.

While Joe will be deeply missed by many, his legacy of faithfulness and love will continue on through the lives of his family.