JoAn Mobley Lanaux was a born beauty. At the age of eleven a photographer from the legendary Life magazine spotted her playing in a park in Philadelphia, her hometown, and asked her mother for permission to photograph the young girl in his studio. Permission was granted. A modelling career was offered. And instantly the career was quashed by her prim Scottish family. The oldest of three children, JoAn's name reflected her father's desire for a boy and the compromise her gender required. He loved the outdoors and threw his daughter into his pursuits sailing, hunting and horseback riding. JoAn was not only beautiful, she was also smart (National Honor Society). And athletic. She attended Drexel University on a full scholarship, competing in swimming, high-diving and lacrosse. In the early days of air travel, when not only good looks, but elegant manners were prerequisites to becoming an "air hostess," JoAn's adventurous spirit led her to New Orleans, Louisiana with Eastern Airlines, where she met and fell in love with her first husband, Henry Frellsen Page Jr. The young bride used the skills she had learned in her youth to assist her husband in the sport of big game fishing. And soon enough, she succeeded in her own right and secured the state record for a sailfish, a record she held for many years. Along with fellow female anglers, JoAn founded the "New Orleans Big Game Fishing Ladies Tournament." At thirty-five, JoAn discovered a sport of her own and within two years was ranked third in Division A tennis in the state of Louisiana. JoAn played competitively into her seventies with partners decades younger. During her tennis career, she was proud to represent the "New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club" as well as the "Crescent City Ladies Tennis Association." When she found love a second time with Walter Lanaux, who proposed to her in Paris, JoAn became involved in the burgeoning New Orleans art scene. Outside of New Orleans on beautiful Bayou Bonfouca, the couple collected local art and made their home together. JoAn also became an incomparable stepmother to Walter's four children and two grandchildren. In her spare time, JoAn was a volunteer at the Aldrich Art Museum where she delighted in the visits of middle schoolers. When the World War II Museum opened in 2000, JoAn entered the museum's volunteer program and remained a volunteer for ten years. JoAn held strong opinions. (Apparently, she had a terrible temper as a child.) Yet she was curious and open and loved nothing more than a good debate. In those moments, her voice made you feel she was way, way younger. In fact, no one believed JoAn was as old as she was, and although she was not exceptionally vain, she refused her son's offer to celebrate her 90th birthday because she didn't want anyone to know she had reached that pinnacle. She was an avid reader. She was an amazing gardener. She was an excellent cook. And she set an impeccable table. She was, in short, the Martha Stewart of the South. And also, apparently, a killer at bridge. At the time of her passing, JoAn counted her earnings at a record $38.00. She is preceded in death by her first love and husband, Henry Frellsen Page Jr. and her second husband Walter T. Lanaux. She is survived by her sibling, John Mobley; her two children Pamela Page and Mark Page; her son-in-law, Igor Jozsa, as well as her stepchildren, other family members and countless friends. In accordance with JoAn's wishes, her service and burial will be immediate family only. If you wish to honor her life with a gift, please consider the charity of your choice.
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