Joann Douglas (Ray) Sato

Joann was born to Frank and Lucille Douglas on March 3, 1934 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was their only child for eleven years when her brother, Jay, was born. Since Frank worked in the oil fields, they moved to West Texas when Joann was a toddler. It was often just Lucille and Joann together, because Frank was gone for work, and they became very close. Joann loved her mother, but she didn’t love the perms that she often gave her! Her daddy had a special name for her based on the color of her hair. He called her “Red”, all the days of his life.

Joann went to school in Seminole, Texas and in Odessa, Texas. In kindergarten she met and became close friends with Donna, and they remained close throughout all the years. As twelve-year olds, they decided they would borrow the family car. Neither was tall enough to steer, shift and reach the accelerator and clutch. They decided that Joann would steer and shift and Donna would sit on the floor board and push the accelerator and clutch. You can imagine how terrible that was! They tried it several times, until the local police officer stopped them, and told them not to ever do that again, or he would report them to their parents!

Joann played in the marching band, and thoroughly enjoyed her school days. Because of some compressed school years, she graduated at age 16 from Odessa High School, and decided to go to college at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. Donna, her best friend since kindergarten, was her college roommate. She loved all the fun of college, and was involved in many activities and groups, including the H-SU Cowgirls, a social and drill team group.

While at H-SU, Joann was taking a tennis class, and saw a handsome guy using his tennis racket as a guitar and singing, “You got the money honey, I’ve got the time.” Soon, David Ray and Joann were dating and driving around in his convertible. They married in June 1952, after two years in college.

David continued in college, but Joann chose to stay at home. Although, home was unlike anything she had known. David was raised as a cowboy on a ranch, and so when they married, they leased a ranch and moved onto it. Joann, the city girl, knew little about gardening, or chickens, or cattle. After carefully laying out her garden, with strings to keep the rows straight, and carefully planting her seeds, David came home to find her so proud of her work. The only problem was – she planted everything too closely! David asked if they were going to use carrots for toothpicks!

Joann also had a chicken, that she named Molly. She feed her, took care of her, and watched for eggs. One day Joann’s mother in law, Juanita, came by for a visit. Joann was so excited! Molly had laid 12 eggs that day! Juanita just smiled and congratulated her. Joann didn’t know until later that she had just found the stash that Molly had hidden.

Mike was born in November 1953, and David decided on a career in business. They moved to the Ft. Worth, TX area where he planned to be a millionaire before the age of 30. He was well on his way, when the Lord directed him to a very different path, that of a pastor.

David began seminary and they drove weekly to a small church in Oklahoma for him to preach. Their tithe paid much of their salary! Janet was born in February 1958, and they moved to a little larger church in Cresson, outside of Ft. Worth, which came with a house. Kelle was born in December 1959, and Joann’s family was complete. She loved her children with all of her heart, all the days of her life.

Joann was fun, and personable and very gracious, besides being beautiful, and she really enjoyed being a pastor’s wife. Her love of the Lord showed as she served and loved those in each church. She was an excellent hostess, and they were often invited to other’s homes. Joann developed deep long-lasting friendships with ladies from each church.

After several moves to different churches, Joann and David began serving at First Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas in 1967. Lubbock was such a wonderful place, and it remained one of Joann’s favorite places. Friends from there have remained very close to her, and she chose in March 2014 to have her 80th Birthday celebration held there. Even with cold sleet coming down, so many that loved her, and that she loved, attended to celebrate with her.

Due to some health issues, David left the pastorate in 1973 to go into business. The family moved to Houston, then to the Atlanta area. While in Atlanta, Joann decided to work, but she didn’t want to be away from her children, even though her daughters were high school aged. She took a job at Airborne Express, working from 10 pm to 6 am. She left at their bed time, and was home in time to make breakfast, sleep, and be up when they returned from school, ready to prepare dinner, and help with homework. She always gave her children all that she had to give.

David took a job at Hardin-Simmons University, where they had met, and the family moved to Abilene, Texas in 1974. Joann decided to work, but not all night again. She worked at a State Farm Insurance office, where she often had to remind her daughters that one call after school would have to do, and she would talk to them when she was home.

Joann easily tired of the houses that they lived in, even after rearranging the furniture numerous times. Her family seldom lived in a home for more than two years. She decided to take that interest and use it to sell real estate. She truly loved it and the people that she met and helped. People and houses, what a perfect combination for her.

After David passed away at the age of 53 in 1986, Joann moved back to Lubbock. After a couple of years, she decided to go house sit for a friend who lived in Honolulu. There she met Warren Sato. He was smitten immediately, but it took her a while to warm up to him. They did marry in 1990, and she moved all that heavy wooden furniture to Hawaii!

They lived there for a few years, but Joann was too far from her children, and grandchildren – the true loves of her life; Rick’s and Janet’s children - Joshua, Jeremiah, and Judah. Kelle’s children – Zackary, Davea, and Dallas.

Joann and Warren moved to the Ft Worth area, then to Hideaway Lake near Tyler, Texas. There she feed by hand peanut butter cookies to a momma racoon and her two babies from her deck door. They later moved back to Lubbock. It was still too far from her children, and they moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2002. After a few years there, Warren’s health was deteriorating, and they packed up, planning to move back to Honolulu. Warren passed away before they could move. Joann stayed in Charlotte near children and grandchildren, until she moved to Houston to live with Mike, and then to Kihei on Maui, to be near Kelle. As always, evidence of her love of her family.

After a few years in Kihei, she had a heart attack, asking her children to drive her, while giving driving directions to the hospital from the back seat! A few years later, a knee replacement that didn’t heal well, put her in a wheelchair. Joann was incredibly strong physically, often moving the furniture herself that she was constantly rearranging. The wheelchair was a difficult reality for her. With her own health declining, and cardiology medical care lacking on Maui, Joann came to Charlotte “to visit” Janet and family in November 2021, and thankfully stayed. Joann moved in February 2022 into Chandler Place Independent Living in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where she had a lovely apartment beautifully decorated with the Japanese art work that she and Warren had collected. Joann made new friends, while keeping contact with many friends from all the previous years. She enjoyed visits from several of Janet’s friends, as well. She absolutely loved seeing and visiting with her great grandchildren on a regular basis – Joshua’s and Julianna’s children: Richard, Simone, and Henry, and she was so excited about the baby girl due in a few weeks.  She loved seeing Sydney with Zack and Rachel on Facetime, and photos of Zoe, daughter of Dallas and Dulce, that Kelle sent her. Joann kept photos all around her apartment of her precious ones.

Joann was able to have two wonderful parties in March, between hospital stays, for her 89th birthday. She felt so loved and celebrated, and excited to have both Kelle and Janet there with her. A ladies’ lunch that was “one of her best birthday lunches in a very long time”, and a family pizza party where she was able to show off her children and grandchildren to everyone in the Chandler Place dining room! She loved laughing and singing with her family, and letting her great-grandchildren open her gifts for her.

Joann’s heart was full of love, and kindness, and grace. She loved giving to others, often more than she should. DeeDee as she was affectionally known by her grands, and great grands is deeply missed, and will be loved forever. She was reading a devotional during the days before her passing, “5 minutes with Jesus”, and now she’s with Him for eternity.