Joan Marie Bandsuch of Georgetown was born on January 16, 1940, near Bedias, Texas and passed away peacefully on June 1, 2024, at the age of 84. She was the beloved daughter of Travis and Jimmie Marie Batson. Joan spent much of her early years in Centerville and Navasota, Texas, before moving to Houston, where she attended Smiley High School, graduating in May 1958.

Joan started her career working for the Texas Highway Department before taking time off to raise her daughter. When she returned to work, she opted for temporary work assignments that allowed her to leverage her unique computer skills- a rarity at the time. She enjoyed the challenge of collaborating with various teams on specialized tasks and valued the opportunity to work in different industries. She returned to state government to work for the Texas Railroad Commission as a Budget Analyst for over 20 years before retiring in July of 1998. Joan was blessed with two loving marriages. She first married William Thomas Causey in 1959, who passed away in 1968. She later married Ronald Michael Bandsuch in 1975, who passed away in 2021. Together with her husband Ron, she loved to travel, and they were able to spend time in Europe and Korea plus trips to Alaska, Hawaii, and many other states across the US. As a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she loved spending time with family. She was a constant presence, finding immense joy in witnessing her loved ones' milestones and always ready to lend a hand. Her involvement ranged from attending birthdays, graduations, weddings, band concerts, theater performances, sporting events, and debate contests, to embarking on summer travel adventures with her grandchildren. Additionally, she spent countless hours in school parking lots, whether dropping off or picking up at all hours, ensuring she was there for every important moment.

More than going to events and being an ever-present role model in their lives, she made it an effort to go out of her way to spend time with the people she loved. Some of her grandchildren's fondest childhood memories included going to Austin early in the morning for cowboy breakfast, annual shopping trip on tax free weekend, playing pac-man in her sewing room while she worked on sewing on boy scout patches, spending lunch at the elementary school cafeteria during holiday lunches, taking them out of school to have Persian food for lunch, and even being accidently given a bottle of vodka when asking for water on a road trip which was quickly corrected.

Always willing to join in the fun, she was known for her playful spirit. She loved pushing her great-grandchildren around the house on her walker while they joyfully yelled, "weee". Joan was incredibly artistic, with a passion for sewing, painting, sculpting, and jewelry making.

She cherished sharing these skills with her grandchildren, particularly teaching Jessica how to sew and guiding her through the intricate process of making pearl necklaces for her bridesmaids. Joan's love for jewelry-making extended to crafting and gifting necklaces and earrings to family members at every opportunity. She was a talented painter and would always create custom drawn gift cards for birthdays and Christmas. Some of her animal paintings have now made their way down to her great-granddaughter.

Joan is survived by her brother, Vernon (Marsha); her daughter, Stacy (Stephen); her Grandchildren; Christopher (Jessy), Jessica (Samuel), Lauren (Chris), and Zachary (Sydney); and her great-grandchildren, Sabrie, Hazel, and Theodora (Thea) Joan. She also leaves behind numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and both of her husbands.

Joan's legacy is defined by her strength, boundless generosity, and sharp sense of humor. She had patience about her that invited people in. She will be deeply missed but forever remembered in the hearts of those who knew her.

In memory of Joan and in honor of her newest great-granddaughter, Thea Joan, who is facing her own health journey with CDH, the family kindly requests those wishing to make a donation to consider the Ronald McDonald Holcombe House in Houston, Texas.

https://rmhchouston.org/donate/