Joanie McConnell Black
November 14, 1938-
September 19, 2025
Joan “Joanie” McConnell Black went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Friday, the 19th of September 2025. She was born in Houston, Texas on the 14th of November 1938, to Derwood John McConnell and Mary Eleanor Rain McConnell, who preceded her in death.
Joanie attended St. Vincent de Paul School and St. Agnes Academy, and she graduated from Lamar High School in Houston, Texas in 1956. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Houston, where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha and served as vice-president of her sorority. Joanie was also a University of Houston Cougar cheerleader, and the family still has her megaphone! Joanie met the love of her life, David Barrow Black, Sr. at UofH, and they were married for 53 years.
Joanie served her community well as a member of the Junior League of Houston, becoming a sustaining member. She loved serving in the Junior League Tea Room and doing puppetry in local schools with her Junior League placement. After her children were grown, she worked with David at their furniture stores, Black’s Carriage House-Ethan Allen. She also was an active member of the Houston Christian University Guild and served as a team captain for the prayer ministry.
Joanie with her husband, David, were very active in the Harris County Republican Party and served in many different capacities including attending many State and District Republican Conventions, where Joanie was a precinct chairman. Joanie loved her country and was a true patriot. In praying for our country, she often prayed 2 Chronicles 7:14.
She was a member of Second Baptist Church Houston and belonged to the Special Forces Bible study class and served in the prayer ministry for many years. Joanie also contributed to many ministries to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Joanie is survived by her son, David Barrow Black, Jr. of Dallas; daughter, Mary Katherine Black Pattison and her husband, Patrick, and grandchildren whom she absolutely adored, Andrew Duke Pattison and Anne Campbell Pattison, all of Dallas. She is also survived by nieces, nephews, and their families: George Black III, Katherine Walters, Emmalee Black, Amy Dexter, Elizabeth Wills, Mary Ruth Meek, and Wilson Moore, along with many precious cousins from the Rain, Black, and Murray families. She is preceded in death by her sisters, Lynda McConnell Moore and Karen Stephanie McConnell.
Friends are cordially invited to a celebration of Joanie’s life at one o’clock in the afternoon on Wednesday, the 1st of October, in the Hankamer Chapel of Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway in Houston. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in Parlor B.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions be directed to Second Baptist Church - Missions, 6400 Woodway, Houston, Texas 77057 or by visiting the link below under “Donations”.
