We are deeply saddened to let you know that HHA Board member and Treasurer Joy Stapp passed away on March 26th. Joy’s passing stemmed from complications from the West Nile Virus that she contracted 10 years ago, but she ultimately passed peacefully.

It’s hard to imagine a person more aptly named than Joy. She really was a joy to be around, always bringing a special warmth and positive spirit to every room she entered. Her passing leaves a large void that will certainly be felt on the HHA Board, across our organization as a whole, and of course throughout the Heights community that Joy loved and had called home since 1986.

Our mission at the HHA is to foster a sense of community among the diverse segments of the Houston Heights and few did a better job of fostering that sense of community in our neighborhood than Joy. She was quick to reach out to you when you moved into the neighborhood and worked hard to keep in touch. As Joy’s neighbor and good friend Kathy Butler explained, Joy saw no need for tall privacy fences. She instead jokingly suggested building fences that were only a few feet high and totally see through!

Joy’s love for the Heights called her to be incredibly active as a volunteer for more than 3 decades. Over that time, she served on the HHA Board for multiple terms, including several years as our Treasurer. Through the years, Joy docented many home tours, and her welcoming nature always made it a fun and memorable experience for other docents and tourgoers alike. Leading by example, she also consistently reached out to other community members and encouraged them to volunteer and get involved in the HHA.

Joy took an active role in the improvement of two important public spaces in the Heights as well. She did a lot of work on turning Donovan Park into the great community park that it is today and also was an integral part of making Heights Boulevard the scenic destination that it has come to be. “As a member of our group of community volunteers that built the jogging trail and planted the 312 live oak trees that line each side of Heights Blvd., you help make the Heights what it is today,” Heights Boulevard jogging trail namesake Paul Carr thoughtfully recalls. 

Joy’s faith was very important to her and that shined through in the selfless way she lived her life. She was an active member at Christ Church Cathedral, serving on the Vestry, singing in the choir, serving as a mentor, and volunteering for the Beacon homeless project.

Those closest to Joy remember her as a fighter. After contracting West Nile Virus in 2011, Joy spent months in the hospital on life support and later in rehab. And though the virus permanently paralyzed her from the waist down, Joy did not give up. She managed to remain a very active member of our Heights community and her church community. She would regularly meet a group of friends at nearby restaurants and when she couldn’t go out, she had guests over, hosting happy hours as a way to get neighbors together for a visit. Joy would patiently wait—sometimes for hours—for rides from METROLift or other handicap taxis so she could still attend events like the Candlelight Dinner or choir practice at her church. She eventually took the necessary training and was able to get a van she could drive with all hand operated controls. This allowed her to get around even easier and become even more involved.

Joy was a dog lover. For a long time she had two Boston terriers that she loved to spoil. “Before she contracted West Nile Virus, she would have an annual Happy Barkday party at her house to which her friends and their dogs would be invited,” close friend Joellen Snow fondly remembers. “She always served wonderful treats for the humans and the dogs!”

Joy’s intelligence, wit, kindness, and generosity made her a pillar of our Heights community. The vigor with which she lived her life, even after becoming paralyzed can be an inspiration to us all. She will be sorely missed, but her lasting memory will always bring us joy!