Joy Kristine Stapp

Joy Kristine Stapp passed away on March 26, 2021. Joy was born on October 20, 1947 in Fort Worth, Texas, the only child of Edith Virginia Hellenguard and Louie Glenmore Stapp. For the last 10 years of her life, Joy had been recovering from paralysis due to the West Nile Virus.

Joy grew up in Houston and was a proud graduate of Sam Houston High School. She received a BA in mathematics and psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Stapp held faculty positions at the University of California, Berkley, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Georgetown University. She was on the staff of the American Psychological Association and directed its survey program. Dr. Stapp was a nationally recognized researcher in psychology and since returning to Houston in 1986, worked as a trial consultant, most recently for Stapp Singeleton, Inc.

Joy lived in a wonderful house in the Houston Heights and was active in the Houston Heights Association. A cradle Episcopalian, Joy was also active in her church, Christ Church Cathedral where she served on its Vestry and sang in the Parish Choir.

Joy was preceded in death by her parents, Glen and Virginia Stapp and is survived by many cousins, including the incredible “Cousin Wayne” Hellenguard and his wife Clydene of Houston and Kimberly Farris Hutchins of Midland. She is also survived by her two besties, Betty Pursley Babb and Trudy Kiera Skiff Laifer and her Boston Terrier, Sophie.

Joy never found the love of her life, but she was blessed with a wonderful family and many, many remarkable friends, who were incredibly fun and interesting. Like her parents, Joy was smart, funny, and generous, but she would also be bossy, cranky, difficult and directive. [In fact, she wrote this obit]. Despite these shortcomings, her friends and family put up with her, because she loved them and they loved her. Joy would quote Tennyson “I am a part of all I have met.”

Visitation will be at Heights Funeral Home, 1317 Heights Blvd. on Tuesday, April 6th from 5 – 7. Funeral (celebration) will be at Christ Church Cathedral on April 7th at 11 am. In keeping with COVID protocol, attendance is limited. Friends may register to attend the service in person through the following link: https://www.christchurchcathedral.org/memorialservice/ The next day, April 8th at 1pm, there will be a brief gravesite committal service before internment in the cemetery next to her parents, her grandparents, her great-grandparents, and her great-great grandparents.

Donations in Joy’s memory may be made to the charity of one’s choice or to the Cathedral Endowment Fund, Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston TX 77002.

In keeping with the Cathedral’s COVID protocol, attendance is limited. Friends may register to attend the service in person through the following link:

https://public.serviceu.com/RegistrationForm/11034558-454413811/?OrgKey=546e79bc-6b05-4d17-bfbc-ecd04c814c4f.