It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Joe Wiley Painter on November 29, 2023.  He passed peacefully at his home in El Lago, Texas – surrounded by people that he loved – including his wife of 69 years – Maurene Mosley Painter.  Joe was born in Oklahoma on April 23, 1932 – along with his identical twin Jon – who were the 10^th and 11^th of 13 children born to the late Howard Andrew Painter and Sylvia Taylor Painter. The family later moved to the small town of Mokane Missouri – where he and his future bride (Maurene Mosley) met at the age of 12.  Joe and Maurene both graduated from The University of Missouri and they married in the summer of 1954.  Joe earned a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering – and was in the Army for 2 years as the follow up to college ROTC and worked for Dupont for 42 years. Joe was part of the cutting edge program in the late 60’s of automating the petro-chemical processing done at Dupont – in the days of punch card programing and enormous main frame computers housed in special rooms.  Joe worked at multiple Dupont locations – with the majority of his career in the Dupont near Victoria Texas – where he and Maurene raised their 6 children and lived there for 52 years. In 2015 Joe and Maurene moved to El Lago Texas (Houston – Galveston area) to live down the street from their daughter Susan Painter Briggs.

Joe was always a man on the go – and during his years in Victoria he was a leader in his church (Unitarian Universalist Church of Victoria), active in the Democratic Party, very involved with Habitat for Humanity and participated in Toastmasters for many years. He loved basketball – played in high school and enjoyed shooting hoops until his last days – frequently beating unsuspecting younger folks at a game of Horse.  He was a magnet for all small children who instantly recognized a guy that knew how to have fun and was always a boy at heart. Joe was always ready to help – and could be counted on by countless people through the years– including many elderly people that needed help in organizing their finances. In his later years in El Lago – he became a neighborhood fixture constantly mowing his lawn as well as the neighbors’ – and the daily sweeping of the sidewalks and gutters up and down the street and taking other neighbor’s trash can back from the curb – one neighbor called him the neighborhood custodian. Joe and Maurene had a wonderful, loving marriage –and in his last semi-conscious days he was always wanting to hold and kiss her hand – their deep and abiding love for one another was evident to all.

Joe is survived by his wife, his youngest brother and sister – Jim Painter and Charlotte Bell,  his 3 daughters – Karla (Bob Burns), Janis (Adrian Heston), Susan (Mark Briggs) and his 3 sons – Alan (Isabelle Body), Eric (Amy Lancaster) and Jeff; 12 grandchildren (Sarah Burns, Hannah Burns, Adam Burns, Andrew Heston, Nicholas Heston, Kevin Heston, Clay Briggs, Clement Painter, Julie Painter, Thomas Painter, Timothy Painter, William Painter; 2 step grandchildren (Randy Ferguson, Adrian IV Heston) 1 step great grandchild (Quin Heston) and 1 on the way (via Randy);  and 5 amazing and loving caregivers – Olga, Perla, Jocelyn, Mikee and Savannah.  Although we mourn his passing – it is with eternally grateful hearts to have had Joe in our lives as a giving brother, an adoring husband, a good good Daddy, a silly and fun loving Grandaddy and a generous friend to many.  Joe – you are a man of character who truly had the heart of a servant – you made the world a kinder place and your memory will be cherished.