Martha Joyce Hanna was born on April 13, 1929, in Hope, Arkansas. Joyce spent her early childhood in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Her family later moved to Kerrville, Texas where her mother Mattie Ward was …
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Martha Joyce Hanna was born on April 13, 1929, in Hope, Arkansas. Joyce spent her early childhood in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Her family later moved to Kerrville, Texas where her mother Mattie Ward was a nurse at the VA Hospital. Kerrville was the place Joyce always felt was her childhood home and would graduate from Tivy High School. On June 2, 1949, Joyce married James Edwin Hanna in Kerrville. They owned a little cafe in Kerrville before Jim landed a job with Humble Oil Company and worked for a couple of years on the King Ranch, in the south Texas area near Kingsville. In 1954, Jim was transferred to Humble Oil Company’s newly expanded Katy Gas Plant in Katy, where he would work for nearly 30 years. Joyce loved Katy, where was she was active in the community and would raise her children, Rickey and Belinda. Aside from working at the Katy Gas Plant, Jim operated Hanna’s Radio and TV. While he was talented at the repairs, it was Joyce who organized all the parts, spoke with the customers, and made in-home repair appointments for Jim to go on after hours. She was certainly the drive behind the business and kept it all running smoothly and organized. Joyce was very giving of herself and her time. She was very compassionate and would help anybody, especially her friends in any way she could. She would often help Patti Hanson in the Flower Shoppe and Jane Olson in her beauty shop. Her greatest passion in serving her community was as a Girl Scout Leader that earned her the nickname of “Miss Joyce.” She spent countless hours working with her Girl Scout Troop helping “her girls” as she called them earn their badges. She taught “her girls” many helpful skills, took them on many camping trips and day trips, and developed friendships that would last her lifetime.
Joyce and her family were part of a family and friends group who had a year-round hunting lease on the Robinson Ranch, located adjacent to Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City, where many hunting trips and memories were made. Later the entire extended Hanna family had many fun family gatherings at a hunting lease near Spicewood.
Her passion for traveling and the outdoors would evolve into summer road trips with her family, packing up and heading out to many national and state parks, as well as visiting Canada. Jim would save up his vacation time and they would hit the road in their Volkswagen camper for two to three weeks. After Papaw Jim’s retired from Exxon, he and Ms. Joyce would often take off traveling on a whim and could be gone for weeks at a time.
Joyce’s last two years spent at Carriage Inn were very special to her. She connected with so many great friends that will truly miss her company.
Joyce was a sweet, kind, caring and thoughtful person. She could be headstrong and firm but make no doubt about it, Joyce was a pushover when it came to her daughter, Belinda, and those who Ms. Joyce called, “her girls.” She dearly loved her grandsons, Chase, Austin and Cody and they lit up her world … that is until the great-grandbabies, Hayley and Brooke, came along. She truly loved all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and spending time with each of them.
Martha Joyce Hanna passed away on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 in Houston, Texas at the age of 91 years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James Edwin Hanna on November 18, 2009.
She is survived by her son, Rickey Edwin Hanna of Huntsville; her daughter, Belinda Hillhouse and her husband Corky of Katy; grandsons, Chase Hanna and his wife, Sarah, of Dallas, Austin Hanson of Katy and Cody Hanna and his girlfriend, Makayla Davis, of The Woodlands; great-granddaughters, Hayley Reed Hanna and Brooke Olivia Hanna of Dallas; and by numerous loving family members and many friends, including “her girls.”
A walk-through visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at the Schmidt Funeral Home Grand Parkway Chapel, in Katy, where funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, 2021 with Dr. Richard White officiating. Interment in Katy Magnolia Cemetery with family only.
Honorary pallbearers will be Austin Hanson, Chase Hanna, Cody Hanna, Garon Bates, Randy Clark, Clark Hardage, Kenny Wilson, Doug Hanson, Mike Fralick and Mitch Fralick.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to one of Joyce’s favorite organizations, Brookwood Community, 1752 FM 1489, Brookshire, Texas 77423, www.Brookwoodcommunity.org. The family is also encouraging those who can to donate Antibodies/Plasma to the Houston Blood Bank, which is in short supply of to treat other patients in need.
To express condolences, please visit www.SchmidtFuneralHome.net
Funeral services held under the direction of:
Schmidt Funeral Home
1344 W. Grand Parkway South
Katy, Texas 77494
(281) 391-2424