Joan Towery

Joan Towery passed away on November 17, 2013 at the age of 84. She was born on December 21, 1928 in La Verne, Los Angeles, California to John Payne Lamb and Nancy Caroline Rhea. She had an older sister Jean and her older brother Mitchell. They were never really content in CA, Nashville, AR was home. Her father first arranged for a job trade for a rural route in Mart, Texas where they lived for about a year settling in Nashville, AR where Joan attended high school and began college. Finally they moved to Brookland in Nashville, AR which was near their original home and where most of the relatives lived.

Joan was attending Arkansas State College in Jonesboro, AR majoring in English and Secondary Education when she met William Towery. This happened because she was taking piano lessons with the same teacher who directed the college band. The band needed a bell lyre player and Joan was talked into doing the job. She was placed in the same line of march where Bill played the Bass Horn. Since he was at the right of the line and responsible for keeping the line straight, he quickly noticed Joan because she was always out of line. They started dating and the next July (1950) they were married.

She taught English at Dyess High School while Bill, still living with his parents, completed his degree. Bill got a job in Wilson, AR near where Joan was teaching. After birth of daughter, Nancy, Bill then got a better job in West Plains, MO for a few months.

Bill’s parents had moved from AR to Louisville, KY and offered to help Bill attend Seminary there. While there, son Daniel was born.

After graduation from Seminary, for 5 years, Bill was the pastor of two churches at different times in the area of Owensboro, KY (his home town where he was born). Daughter Sarah was born during this time. Joan did substitute teaching in the county schools.

Meanwhile, Bill’s parents had moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We decided to join them there and moved in 1960. Joan taught English at Driftwood Junior High for a year. After the still-born birth of a son, she taught for 5 years at Fern Hall Private School.

Joan had always been interested in library work. An opportunity opened for her to join an off-campus program from Florida State University. After attending on-campus for two summers, she received her Master of Library Science Degree in 1970 and then secured a position as Media Specialist at Perry Middle School where she worked for 5 years. She then served other schools in the area until she and Bill decided to move to Umatilla in Central Florida.

Joan finished her school career as librarian at Eustis Florida Elementary School, a position she found especially rewarding. After retiring, she had worked in the local Baptist church’s libraries wherever we lived. We moved to Texas in 2002 to be near our children.

Bill and Joan’s favorite interests have been travel and genealogy – often combining the two and visiting many places where our ancestors lived. They made 3 trips to Switzerland, one to Europe, one to the Holy Land and one to Alaska.

Joan is survived by her husband William Towery; 3 children, Nancy Swenson, Daniel Towery and Sarah Goss; 6 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2013 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Funeral Home in Pflugerville.

Funeral Service will be held on Friday, November 22, 2013 at 3:30 pm at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery.