Joan Goddard Reid

Joan Goddard Reid February 19, 1934 - March 30, 2024 Joan Goddard Reid, a beacon of love and light, departed from this world on March 30, 2024, with her husband Alton Clark Reid and family by her side. Born on February 19, 1934 In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Joan embodied a life filled with faith, adventure, and unwavering devotion to those she held dear. Joan and Clark were high school sweethearts at Tulsa's Will Rogers High School. After graduation, Joan attended Oklahoma State University where she pledged Pi Beta Phi. In 1954, each at the age of 20 years, Joan and Clark were married and she moved to Houston, where Clark was in college at Rice University. There they grew their family, made many strong and lasting friendships, became active in their church, played tennis, bridge, enjoyed travel, a little bit of golf, and even a game of croquet at times. Aside from a brief time when they lived in New Jersey, Houston is where they lived in loving devotion to each other for their nearly 70-year marriage. Joan's love extended beyond her marriage to her cherished children and her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Though her heart carried the sorrow of losing a son at a tender age, she poured boundless affection and care into their three younger children (and their children), nurturing them with unwavering love and guidance. When her children were grown, Joan decided to enter the workforce and was hired at the architectural firm CRSS. While there, she saw a need and took the initiative to form her own temporary placement agency, J. Reid Secretarial. Her professionalism and organizational skills led her to become executive assistant to the President, and when he later became the Dean of the School of Architecture at Rice University, Joan also moved her employment there. Upon his death, Rice established a memorial fund and symposium program in his honor and asked Joan to stay and oversee its endowment, which she did for a number of years until her retirement. Throughout her life, Joan remained active and vibrant, radiating joy wherever she went. In her presence, one could always find comfort, warmth, and a sense of home. Even as she faced the hard challenges of Alzheimer's disease, her joy was ever present. Perhaps nothing underscores that better than the nickname that she was given by her many wonderful and loving caregivers - "Smiley Face." Joan leaves behind a legacy of faith and a life devoted to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Throughout her life, she displayed what the Bible refers to as "the fruit of the Spirit" - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. While our hearts ache with the pain of her loss, we take solace in knowing that she is at peace, reunited with her beloved son and embraced in the arms of her Creator. Joan was predeceased by her son Gregory Clark Reid ("Our Little Greg"), her parents Vera and Buster Goddard, her sister Virginia Goddard Davis and her daughter-in-law Kelley Harrell Reid (David). She is survived by many family members, including her husband Alton Clark Reid, their children Lori Reid Weitzel (Bob), Craig Alan Reid (Christian), David Warren Reid, their grandchildren, Lindsey Weitzel Shelley (Daniel), Connally Reid, Catherine Weitzel Trouba (Joe), Clark Reid (Nicole), Alli Weitzel, Caroline Reid, Charles Reid, Riley Ann Reid, John Reid and four (and growing) great grandchildren, Emerson Shelley, Caroline Shelley, Beau Trouba, and Harrison Reid. Pastor Stuart Tilley of First Baptist Church of Tulsa officiated a family graveside and burial service on April 6th, 2024. A memorial service and celebration of Joan's life will take place in the Hankamer Chapel at Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway Dr., Houston, Texas 77057 on Friday, May 10th at 11:00am. A reception will follow in the Deacon's Parlor. Family and friends are invited to gather, honor her memory, and share stories of her blessed and wonderful life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Second Baptist School in honor of Joan Goddard Reid.