She attended The University of Houston and later transferred to The University of Texas at Austin where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education. Her first teaching job was at Moulton High School in Moulton, TX teaching typing. This was her favorite teaching job, and she often went to their class reunions. She would laugh while telling the story of 2 students who hid a live chicken in her desk when she first started teaching. JoAnn would later teach American History in Austin ISD until she got married and had children.

JoAnn married Leroy Joe Sebesta on Sept. 21,1957 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Columbus, Texas. This unlikely couple, one die-hard Texas Aggie and one Texas Longhorn, were happily married for 47 years until Leroy passed away on Oct. 2, 2004. JoAnn willingly supported the Aggies by attending games and wearing maroon. After Leroy’s passing, she always attended Aggie Muster. They had 2 children while living in Columbus: Susan Jan (Peletz), born July 6, 1958, and Nancy Jo (Williams), born on February 9, 1961. Leroy and JoAnn enjoyed playing bridge and attending dances with friends while living in Columbus.

A change in job took them from Columbus to Houston in 1966, and in 1967 they had a son, William Thomas, on February 8th. They would still come back to Columbus on a regular basis to visit friends and for their children to spend time with their grandparents. In 1978, a job promotion would take them to Boca Raton, Florida. During their time in Florida, they met several couples that they would remain close to over the years as they moved again, first to New Jersey, then back to Texas living in Dallas, Cypress and finally San Antonio.

When they were ready to retire, they started thinking about what kind of home they would like to have. JoAnn worked for many months designing the kind of home in which they could retire, entertain and enjoy their children and grandchildren. She took careful consideration to include accessibility features for when they aged and combined all the things they had enjoyed in the various homes in which they previously lived. They eventually built their dream home under the shade of live oak trees in Columbus. They were so happy to return to their roots where they had both grown up.

JoAnn and Leroy loved being back home where they could give back to the community and reconnect with old friends. They loved going to dances, reunions and being part of the birthday club - a group of life-long friends that gathered every month for dinner to celebrate whoever was having a birthday. No presents were allowed. It was just an evening of food and fellowship.

JoAnn became interested in gardening over the years and worked diligently to bring her new yard to life. The entire front of their home would eventually be covered in azaleas. She preferred to start with the small plants and watch them grow. She was recipient of “Yard of the Month” and was always appreciative of that recognition. Her favorite time of the year was March and April when the azaleas were in full bloom.

JoAnn was a member of the Coastal Prairie Council of Garden Clubs and a member of Columbus Garden Club. She served as the President from 2005-2007 and was selected by the members as Garden Angel in 20092010. She was also recognized at the District IV Convention as a Seasoned Gardener and was recently designated as Garden Emeritus. She loved all the wonderful ladies she met and worked with in this organization. She loved sharing her plants with others during their annual plant sale. JoAnn enjoyed talking to others about how to care for plants, encouraging others to garden, and was always excited when she found something new that she could add to her yard. She loved finding new ways for the Garden Club to help improve the City of Columbus.

While she was president of the Garden Club, the club wrote and received their first grant and numerous improvements were made to local parks and around the courthouse square. The first city-wide Trash-Off was also held during her presidency reflecting her dedication to keeping the city clean. She was happy to spend hours pulling weeds, watering her plants and digging in the dirt. As she aged and could no longer manage to be outside, she was fortunate to have handyman, Thomas Wavra who took care of the upkeep of her yard and plants. Our family gives a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Wavra for his service to JoAnn over the years. We are also grateful to her incredible neighbors Erwin and Margie Knipple who were so faithful in helping her when ever she needed them.

JoAnn was a member of the St. Anthony Altar Society and was also a long-standing member of Catholic Daughters of America, receiving her 60year membership pin not long ago. She was always ready to serve- whether it was a bake sale, food for funerals or the Apostles of the Sea service project. Her Catholic faith and service was very important to both her and Leroy, and they instilled that in their children.

JoAnn enjoyed the friendships she developed in Columbus Christian Women’s Organization as well as Texas German Society. Family history was very important to her as reflected by the many walls in her home covered with generations of family photos. She was excited when we were able to complete the work her father, William Darilek, had begun in tracing our family history back to Germany and Czechoslovakia.

JoAnn enjoyed entertaining friends in her home. She loved to cook and enjoyed all the new recipes she came across when living in different places. While living in Hunters Creek Village, she joined a group of women who took turns shopping at the Houston Farmers market each month. There was always something new, and she loved trying different recipes shared by friends. The cookbooks she collected from all the places she lived are well used, but her favorites were those from Columbus. She was one of those people who took joy from just sitting and reading through a new cookbook. JoAnn particularly enjoyed cooking for her family, but always looked forward to any opportunity to share her home and food.

She learned to sew from her mother and as time passed, she developed excellent skills. She was always taking on the challenge of doing something more complicated, often by trial and error. She made beautiful play clothes, dresses and suits for her children over the years. If JoAnn could make it herself, she did. She loved hand stitching as well, creating beautiful needlepoint and embroidery pieces. The handmade Christmas stockings she made for her children and grandchildren are cherished by all. Her Christmas tree is covered in beautiful handmade ornaments which she was careful to create in groups of 3, saying that eventually each of her kids would have a full set of ornaments.

In the last years of her life, JoAnn took great pleasure in watching the birds and wildlife in the habitat she had created in her backyard. The families of cardinals, numerous hummingbirds and butterflies gave her great joy. She always had blooming flowers in pots on her back and front patio and loved to sit outside admiring the beauty of everything growing.

The fami ly sincerely thanks her caregivers Cynthia Rios and Dora Rios for their support and care over the years.

She is preceded in death by her husband Leroy Joe Sebesta, her parents William and Minnie (Pundt) Darilek, her parents in law John Sebesta and Pauline Guenther, her brother in laws George (Tina) Sebesta, Alvin (Gladys) Sebesta, Leonard (Pauline) Sebesta, and Hilda (Bill) Naiser and Son in law Peter Michael Peletz III.

She was blessed to have 10 nephews and 8 nieces.

She is survived by her daughters Susan Jan Peletz and Nancy (Jeffrey) Wi lliams, her son William Thomas (Margaret) Sebesta, her grandchildren, David Wayne Peletz, Diane Susan Williams, Constance (Connie) Emily (Kyle) Muller, Paige Elizabeth (Nathan) Reeve, Mary Katherine (Mary Kate) Williams, Grace Marie Sebesta and great grandchildren Ryan Suzanne Reeve and Saylor Rae Reeve.

Funeral mass will be on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Columbus officiated by Rev James Dvorak and Deacon Doug Tromblee. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. with a rosary led by Deacon John Glueck at 9:30 a.m.

Burial will be in St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery. A reception lunch will follow at Columbus Hall.

Serving as pallbearers are William Sebesta, Matthew Sebesta, Patrick Sebesta, Jeffrey Williams, Nathan Reeve and John Isbell. Honorary Pallbearers are Larry Sebesta and Carl Sebesta.

Thank you, St. Anthony Catholic Church Altar Society and Catholic Daughters for providing desserts for the reception.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Anthony Catholic School, 635 Bonham, Columbus, Texas 78934.

Online condolences may be given at www.hennekefuneralhome. com.