Joan Turner Lanham

Joan Turner Lanham, age 70, of Dallas, Texas, passed away on November 15, 2023. Joan Turner was born on February 6, 1953, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to parents Josephine Mary Walter Turner and Robert Fuson Turner. She was the youngest sibling of two adoring brothers Robert Walter Turner and Paul Walter Turner. In 1959, the Turners relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, where Joan grew up. In 1971, she graduated from White Station High School, where she was involved in the drill team and the school newspaper.

From 1971 to 1975, Joan attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she earned a BA in Business Administration. Through the resident advisor program, Joan met the love of her life, Michael Ray Lanham of Indianapolis, Indiana. Joan was an officer of Delta Gamma Sorority and a little sister of Michael’s fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha.

Joan and Michael married on August 16, 1975, at Colonial Park Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and then settled in Dallas. Joan worked in the Sales Department of the Xerox Corporation from 1975 until 1982, when she gave birth to their first daughter, Michele Blair, and transitioned to being full-time CEO, CFO, and COO of the Lanham household. In 1984, daughter Emily Marie was born. Joan was active in the PTA and other volunteer roles at Hamilton Park Pacesetter Elementary School and served as treasurer for school board campaigns. Joan attended countless gymnastics meets, drill team performances, softball games, and school events in support of her girls and their friends. Joan made lifelong friends through the neighborhood babysitting co-op, the girls’ schools, and her keno group. She treasured having people with whom to share the joys and challenges of parenting. After her girls went to college, Joan did bookkeeping, accounting, and property management for several private clients and family foundations in Dallas. Joan was thoughtful, detail-oriented, and thorough, and her family, friends, and employers benefitted from her spreadsheets, gift for numbers, and aptitude for research and planning.

Joan and Michael spent their spare time traveling to see their daughters and playing dominoes with friends. Joan’s greatest joy in life were her three grandchildren Hannah, Matthew, and Gabriel. Joan loved reading with them, snuggling, and watching them pursue their interests in ballet and basketball. She also loved cats. The seven cats Joan adopted over the course of her life were treated as members of the family and always provided a great sense of comfort to her.

Joan had a unique gift for making others feel valued and appreciated. Her warm smile and generous nature brightened the day of strangers and acquaintances alike. Close family and friends received the matchless gift of Joan’s generous love and care. She was an encourager and peacemaker by nature and made sure those around her knew how special they were. The Lanham’s home was a warm and welcoming place where Joan hosted many family birthdays, holiday meals, keno and domino nights, and gatherings of Michele’s and Emily’s friends. Christmas was an especially magical time in the Lanham household. Every year, Joan hunted down the most beautiful 14-foot live Christmas tree she could find and wrapped each gift with enormous glittering bows and coordinated tags. Even as Joan faded from this life, she hosted Grandma’s Summer Camp for the grandchildren, complete with a beautiful high tea for her granddaughter’s ninth birthday, and she was busy planning Michael’s seventieth birthday.

Joan is survived by her husband of 48 years, Michael Ray Lanham of Dallas; her daughters Michele Blair Lanham (Raphael Jen Louie) of Richmond, Virginia, and Emily Marie Lanham Beus (Jonathan Michael Beus) of Atlanta, Georgia; her brothers Robert Walter Turner (Shirley Day Turner) and Paul Walter Turner (Carole West Turner) of Memphis, Tennessee; and her beloved grandchildren Hannah Jo Louie, Matthew Wesley Beus, and Gabriel Lanham Louie. Joan will be remembered for her commitment to family and the joy she took in spending time with family and friends. She made the world a kinder, gentler place and leaves behind a legacy of boundless love.

A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, at First United Methodist Church of Richardson, 503 N. Central Expressway, Richardson, Texas 75080, followed by a reception at the church. An inurnment ceremony for the family will be held at Restland Cemetery, Wildwood Chapel Garden. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make donations in Joan’s honor to the Genesis Women’s Shelter, https://www.genesisshelter.org/donate/ or the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, https://lcrf.org/donate.