Joanne was born March 23, 1942, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Joe and Lena (Twitchell) Prichard, and lived in Little Rock and Cincinnati, Ohio before moving to Houston in the 1950s. As a baby, Joanne won an "All
American Beautiful Baby" contest, and she continued to compete - and win - beauty pageants throughout her teenage years.
She graduated from Houston's Spring Branch High School and attended the University of North Texas, where she was a Sweetheart of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. After college, Joanne performed in ice shows with a professional touring company, entertaining crowds across North America. In 1964 Joanne moved to New York where she earned her wings as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines during the "golden age of travel," earning accolades for exemplary service. After moving back to Houston, Joanne joined her father in his thriving automobile business as Vice President of Courtesy Chevrolet, home of "the most famous business address in Houston."
Preceded in death by her parents, Joanne is survived by her daughter, Stacy Mangum and her husband Mike, son Chris Ryan and his wife Jocelyn, and granddaughters Hannah and Ashley Ryan, all of Fulshear, Texas; and sister Dixie Prichard of Kauai, Hawaii.
The Ryan family would like to give special thanks to the City of Fulshear Police and Fire Departments, the staff at Methodist West Hospital, and Ife, Esther, and Nathalie with Home Instead for their support and care in her final days of life.
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