Wanda Joyce Durham

Wanda was born on May 12, 1936 to William and Melba Crofford in Corpus Christi, Texas and grew up with older brother Dub and younger sister Linda. She graduated from the University of Texas, Austin with a BA degree and then obtained a MS from University of Houston. She did not waste any time before she married the love of her life and best friend, Billy Jack (BJ) Durham on March 26, 1960. They lived in Houston, Texas and bought their first house in 1965 in the Sagemont neighborhood in Southeast Houston and never moved to another home. Wanda was an excellent elementary school teacher at Garden Villas for Houston Independent School District (HISD) and was proud that her students and parents always gave her praise. After an early retirement in 1995, she worked with BJ at Aramark selling souvenirs at the Astrodome for all the events and continued working Astros game when they moved to Enron Field/Minute Maid Park. She enjoyed shopping and had every color of clothing that you can imagine with matching shoes and always decorated the house for all holidays during the year. She played tennis until it was too much for her knees, but her most joy came from playing bridge with all her great bridge friends. She was an amazingly smart card player and expected to always win and was disappointed when she did not finish at the top. She watched all sports, but her favorite was to watch tennis unless she was watching Alex Bregman play for the Houston Astros. Since both Wanda and BJ were school teachers, the family traveled somewhere every summer and the favorites were a Galveston Beach House, Las Vegas and one trip they were crazy enough to pack up the station wagon and travel across America for the entire summer vacation.

Wanda was preceded in death by both her parents, her brother Dub Crofford, and her loving husband of 55 years Billy Jack “B.J.” Durham and multiple family dogs (Love, Peanut and Barak). She is survived by her sister Linda Fennell married to Billy and their sons Ronnie, Kenneth and Wade; Dub’s wife Betty Crofford and their children, Jenny, Ted, Larry, Jonathan and Sally; two daughters Sheryl Hoke and Lisa Creech; three grandchildren Lindsey Follis, William Hoke, and Mallorie Hoke and four great-grandchildren Hayden, Heleyna, Harley, and Henry, who always brought smiles to their Mamaw.

No services will be held at this time and a celebration of life ceremony will be scheduled in the near future. Please share any stories about Wanda below for the Durham family, it will most definitely help to read your cherished memories to provide comfort during this difficult time.