Laura “Joan” (Thompson) Willingham, age 86, passed away on February 3, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with heart failure. She was surrounded by what mattered most to her—her family—and leaves behind a legacy of love, devotion, and quiet strength.

Joan was born in 1939 in a company camp home in Sunray, Texas, and was raised in the small Texas Panhandle town of Dumas alongside her siblings. She often spoke fondly of her idyllic childhood in the 1950s. During her youth, Joan was a Rainbow Girl, a Masonic-affiliated organization focused on service and leadership for young women. She also participated in the time-honored tradition of cotillion, where she learned formal etiquette, manners, and social grace—skills she carried with her throughout her life. She loved reminiscing about dances, traditions, and the friendships of those years.

Joan married the love of her life, Don Willingham, and together they raised three daughters.  In 1975, Joan and Don moved to Friendswood, Texas, where she became deeply involved in  her daughters’ activities and school communities. She volunteered tirelessly through PTA,  high school booster clubs, and as a Girl Scout leader. She was always ready to  help—whether organizing events or sewing Wranglerette Drill Team costumes alongside other devoted moms.

Family was the center of Joan’s life. She was the proud grandmother of seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, who brought her immeasurable joy and purpose. They were her everything.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Clark Thompson; her husband, Don Willingham; and her grandson, Drew Hardgrave.  She is survived by her daughters Tamra Pipper (George), Terri Hardgrave (Kurt), and Nicolee Decker (Isaac); her grandchildren Lauren Howard (Mike), Amy Walter (Mark), George Pipper, Jake Hardgrave (Mary), Ally Decker, and Emma Decker; and her great- grandchildren Alora Venable, Finn Howard, Abby Howard, and Ezra Hardgrave. She is also survived by her sister Mary Ellen Cromwell and her brother Doug Thompson.

Above all else, Joan’s greatest joy was her family, and her love will continue to live on through each generation she leaves behind.

Services for Joan will be announced at a later date.