Harriet (Jan) Jeanette Walp

Harriet Jeanette “Jan” Walp went peacefully to be with her Lord on June 13, 2010. She fought cancer courageously for over a year. Jan was born on Feb. 26, 1933 in Shelbyville, TX, to Mavie Holmes Blankenship and Warren Blankenship. She was the 6th of 7 children. They were a hard-working farming family. She had a wonderful “country” childhood; although it included working in the fields at times and at Ben Jack’s Store at the age of 12. She attended Spurger Schools; was captain of the basketball team, which she loved, and graduated Salutatorian of her senior class. Moving to the Golden Triangle right out of high school, she graduated business school in Port Arthur and then to work for Texas US Chemical.

In 1952, she met a special man, Elmer Dalton “Pete” Walp, who would sweep her off her feet enough for her to break her engagement to another. They married on Jan. 30, 1954. Had he not preceded her in death on May 8, 2003, they would have reached their 50th Golden Anniversary on Jan. 30, 2004. She followed her husband to Wichita, Kansas, and then to Tulsa, Oklahoma on business. While in Tulsa in 1958, she became pregnant with her first child. But because she did not want to have her child off of Texas soil and away from family, she came back and stayed with her “sister”, Mavie Catherine “Babe” Dickey, for the birth. Shortly thereafter, they moved back to Texas, where in 1963, she had her second child. For several years they enjoyed being members of the Belles and Beaus Dance Club with her sister Martha Tutt, and husband, Carlos. Sometime after the birth of her second child, she went to work for Houston Chemical Co. in Beaumont, TX, and eventually became the Executive Assistant to the Plant Manager, where she worked until Mar. 1974.

At this time, Pete’s career took them from Beaumont to Parkersburg, WV, then to Richardson, TX, and finally to Austin where they lived the remainder of their lives. Jan and her family were blessed to have travelled to wonderful places such as Colorado, Nevada, The Grand Canyon, Washington, DC, Niagara Falls, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Some of Jan’s favorite things were weekly luncheons with girlfriends, travelling to Las Vegas to The Stardust to “play the slots,” and visiting her grandsons in Dearborn, MI, and Dallas.

Preceding her in death were her parents, sisters Aline Blankenship and Gussie Daigle, brothers Orvelle, J.W., and Harvey Blankenship, and niece Kimberly Tutt. Survivors include her loving daughters, Tammy Jeanine Walp Stout and husband Daniel of Double Oak, TX, and Jana Daline Walp-DeSouza and husband Ira of Austin, TX.; three grandsons, Justin Daniel Stout, Matthew Evan Stout, and Neal Dalton Stout; and one granddaughter, Kiala Dalton Walp-DeSouza; one sister, Martha Jean Tutt; one “son”, Jeffrey Tharp Dickey; several nieces and nephews; and several grand nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 18, 2010 at Broussard’s Mortuary in Nederland, Texas.

Funeral services will be held in the Chapel of Broussard’s Mortuary on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Antioch Cemetery in Town Bluff, Texas

Memorial contributions may be made to The American Cancer Society, 1.800.ACS.2345 Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636).