Joan Alice Herring Blumberg

Joan was the older sister to Anita Herring Wade, Mary Herring Gillette and John Wesley Herring Jr. Her parents and siblings all predeceased her.

After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School, Joan studied at the University of Houston, leaving before she earned a degree to work at the Humble Oil Refinery in Baytown. It was there she met her future husband, Sterling Price Blumberg, of Seguin, Texas. They married on September 2, 1944, at the First Baptist Church in Baytown. What a life they led! After spending her first 50 years in Baytown, Joan and Sterling moved to Houston for ten years before retiring to Canyon Lake in 1982. Seven couples who had been friends for 40 years built retirement homes in the same subdivision. Joan was the last survivor of that group of lifelong friends.

After Sterling's death in December 1999, Joan moved to Austin to be closer to her children. She lived for the next 15 years at the Heritage at Gaines Ranch where she was an avid Bridge player and feared poker player. She remarked many times that she never imagined that she would make so many new good friends so late in life.

As a mother, Joan was involved in her children's activities and volunteer work in the communities where she lived. She and Sterling were active members of Methodist congregations, including singing in the choirs, at St. Mark's United Methodist (Baytown), Westminster United Methodist (Houston) and Canyon Lake United Methodist. Joan joined Tarrytown United Methodist when she moved to Austin.

Joan is survived by her children, Gaye Blumberg Polan of Austin, and Robert George Blumberg of Laguna Vista, Texas, and her grandchildren, Shayla Blumberg Perkins and her husband Charles Scott Perkins of Pearland, Parker Price Polan and his wife Mary Oates Polan, and Walker Kraege Polan, all of Austin. Her great grandchildren are Ashton Scott Perkins, Cohan Price Perkins, Henry Price (Hap) Polan and William Kraege Polan.

A celebration of Joan's life will be held in the Chapel at Tarrytown United Methodist Church on Monday, April 25th at 11 a.m. Joan chose to be cremated. Her ashes will be buried next to Sterling's at San Geronimo Cemetery in Seguin at a later date.

Her family's heartfelt thanks go out to Joan's Hospice Austin team, especially Latasha Hill and Sally Dykstra, who cherished her the last months of her life.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759 or the charity of your choice.