Joan Hollyfield Leary

If you met Joan, you probably ended up telling her more about yourself than you intended. Her earnest interest in you as person and the kind words of support and love she offered caused your heart to share its secrets involuntarily.

Raised in Houston, Joan Pearl Hollyfield had a life more varied and interesting than she herself appreciated. She grew up in what was then called "the country", but is now the heart of the Houston Galleria area. She was surrounded by River Oaks society, but never felt herself a part of it. She attended Lamar High School and went on to study at Mount Vernon College in Washington DC. While in school she attended the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. She spent a semester studying at the Sorbonne in France, and learned to speak French. After college, she worked as an administrative assistant for the Link Division of General Precision during the Apollo program, playing a part in mankind’s greatest achievement in space: walking on the moon.

Afterward she moved to California, where she met and married Frank Leary and became stepmother to his daughters, Stacey and Lisa. Soon after, she gave birth to her first son, Mark, and six years later welcomed her second son, Chris. She was a natural nurturer and enjoyed motherhood. She and Frank parted ways in 1979. In 1986, when her own mother needed care, she and the boys returned to Houston.

Joan was a lifelong lover of the arts. She loved music, dance, design, jewelry, fashion, and art. She attended concerts and recitals, ballets and operas, rock shows and musicals. But she found her calling as an oil painter. Dabbling at first in her twenties, after retirement, painting became her raison d'être. She painted every week with her art entourage at Saint Martin's Episcopal Church. Her work adorns homes and offices throughout Houston and beyond.

Despite those achievements, her points of greatest pride were her sons and their families. Joan's true calling was that of a mentor, protector, promoter, and supporter. Those who met her knew this to be true straight away. The impact she had on the people in her life was often swift and always significant. She loved love, preferred patience, and courted kindness. Though we all are greater still for having known her, the light of the world is little less bright without her.

She is survived by her two sons, Mark and Chris, granddaughter Stephanie, grandson Alec, Chris' wife Katherine, and all who knew and loved her. Services are to be held Saturday November 14, 2026 1PM at Funeraria del Angel, 5100 North Fwy, Houston, TX 77022.