Joan Marie Morales

Joan was born on January 19, 1934, to Joseph and Angeline Loverde in Houston, Texas at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She was given the name Joan by combining the first two letters of her father and mother’s names, Joseph, and Angeline. She grew up in her parent’s house, shared with her beloved grandmother, ‘Nanna’, Gaetana Parlati from whom she learned of the importance of family and serving as an Italian matriarch. She is of Italian descent on both sides of her parents, having roots in Bisacquino and Corleone, Sicily. Joan is a third generation Texan with her early Italian immigrant roots in Dickinson, Texas.

Joan attended St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Grade School and graduated high school from St. Agnes Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in 1952 where she made lifelong friends known as the ‘The Fannin Street Girls’, as the school was originally located on Fannin Street. In her yearbook, Joan was described as a conscientious student and a natural born artist, who was part of many school clubs and activities. Upon her high school graduation in 1952, Joan married Martin Mooney Morales of Houston, Texas. Joan and Martin met at The Rice Hotel, at a dance for young people, chaperoned by her Nanna Parlati. While Martin was stationed at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Nanna Parlati would take Joan to visit him during their courtship. Her courtship and marriage were encouraged by her grandmother, as Martin Morales, also of Italian descent, whose family roots were from Mezzojuso, Sicily, was tall and handsome according to Nana. After a honeymoon in New Orleans, Joan and Martin established their roots in the Maplewood area of Houston, with Martin working as a bank executive and Joan spending her time raising their four children, Martin, Janet, Richard, and Marilyn.

Joan was a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and even began a career after her children had grown, managing a dental office for over ten years. Joan loved to watch old Hollywood movies and could recite all her favorite actors’ names. She was a voracious reader of novels, read the newspaper daily, enjoyed painting, cherished family traditions and family history and was always the source for family tree research. Joan kept up with all the news and politics of the times and enjoyed discussing her opinions on her daily phone calls with her friends and family. Even after losing Martin, Joan has led a full life, spending the last nineteen years being independent and maintaining her home.

Joan Marie Loverde Morales died peacefully on Monday, February 26, 2024 in Houston, Texas shortly after celebrating her 90th year of a very blessed life.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Martin M. Morales, her parents, Joseph and Angeline Loverde, her sister Louise Gabbanelli, and her daughter-in-law Kathy Morales. She is survived by her son, Martin M. Morales, Jr., daughter Janet Lee & husband Andrew (AJ) LaHaye, son Richard J. Morales & wife Amanda Vavilala, and daughter Marilyn Carson & husband Clay Carson. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Angela, Matthew & Christina Morales, Allison & Rachel Lee, Ashwin, Ariana & Anand Morales (Vavilala), Ryan Carson & wife Kaitlyn Carson, Delanie Carson Lafayette & husband Connor Lafayette, and her great grandchildren, Colin James Carson & Liam Clayton Carson. Joan is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Joan had a special affection for her loving caretaker and friend Francis Madueno, who so selflessly cared for Joan for the past three years.

Pallbearers will be Clay Carson, Ryan Carson, Ashwin Morales, Anand Morales , AJ LaHaye and Simone Morales. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 6 from 11-1 just prior to a Memorial service at 1pm in the Grand Chapel at Forest Park Lawndale, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston with Committal to follow at 2pm Forest Park Lawndale.