Joanne Day McDonald

Joanne is preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Charles (2004); her son Mark (2014), her son Charles Jr. (1956), and her daughter, Melanie (1955). She is survived by her son Charles III and his wife Pam, and her daughter Michelle Brown and her husband Charles. She is also survived by six grandchildren, James, Kate, and Joel McDonald, and Elizabeth, Chad, and Emily Brown. She is also survived by her sister Jeannie Layne, niece Terry Muschalek and nephew Kevin Layne.

Joanne was the daughter of Osborne Ralph and Mary McAfee Day. She spent her early years in Minnesota and had many fond memories of growing up there.

The family moved to Houston where her father opened an office supply store when Joanne was about 12 years old. Joanne graduated from Lamar High School and attended Baylor University. She returned to Houston where she worked downtown for Humble Oil. While attending a party one evening, she met a young medical student, Charles E. “Charlie” McDonald. Charlie would become the love of her life, and, on August 29, 1953, they were married in St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston.

After medical school, Charlie was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and the couple spent their military career stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Fort Ord, California. While in the military, the family expanded to include two sons, Chuck and Mark, and a daughter, Michelle. The family settled in Pasadena, Texas where Charlie opened his OB-GYN practice after finishing his military service.

Upon moving to Pasadena, Joanne became a member of the Pasadena Junior Forum volunteering her time to work with children at the Center for the Retarded, which is now known as The Center Serving Persons with Developmental Disabilities. She was an active member of the Junior Forum for many years, serving as President and chair of The Silver Slipper Review. In the early 1980’s, she turned her love and knowledge of art history into the opening of an art gallery in Clear Lake City which she operated for a few years. In 1985, Joanne and Charlie moved to Clear Lake where they both resided until their deaths.

Joanne was a voracious reader. She enjoyed books of all genres and was always ready to talk about the books that she had been reading. She especially loved books about history and art. She loved learning new things and she knew many things about many things. Joanne also loved to travel and she and Charlie travelled to many places all over the world during their years together. She had many fun and interesting stories about many of their trips.

After Charlie’s death in 2004, Joanne lived a quiet life enjoying outings with family and friends. She was lovingly attended to by her son Mark until his death in April, 2014.