Joe Hal Blain Jr.

Joe Hal Blain Jr., “Papa Joe” age 87, passed away peacefully at his home, Primrose Retirement Community, on Monday, February 17, 2025. He was born to parents, Joe Hal Blain and Evelyn Dyer Blain, on April 5, 1937, in Waco, Texas.

“Papa Joe” grew up in Waco, Texas, played basketball and graduated from Waco High.  He went on to play basketball at Navarro College (former name Navarro Junior College) in Corsicana, Texas.  He married his high school sweetheart Becky Ludvigsen on November 23, 1956. He went to work for IBM and moved to Lubbock, where he has lived for over 50 years. After employment with IBM, he then went to work for Merrill Lynch and Prudential.

He loved to travel, play golf, entertain friends, and actively pursue the “jackpot” at Winstar Casino in Oklahoma, the casinos in Las Vegas and those in Shreveport, LA.    His “jackpot” came in June of 2023.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t collect his winnings because his driver’s license had expired! All was not lost, because we were able to get him a Texas ID within two weeks and make the trip back to Winstar to claim his “jackpot”.

The family wishes to offer special thanks, love and gratitude to the entire staff at the Primrose Facility and to his Gentiva Hospice caretakers.  In fact, he loved all his caretakers at Primrose so much, he wanted to marry many of them and make them our stepmother.  His daughters were vocal about that not happening, but it was all in fun.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Joe Hal and Evelyn, two brothers, Kenny and Skippy, and his precious wife “BeBe”.  He is survived by his sister Rebecca Adkins (Waco), four children, Terri and husband Steve Navrkal (Lubbock), Jerri and husband David Sarten (Lubbock), along with their daughters, Jordan and husband Eric Chavez (Royse City), and Jamie Sarten (McKinney), Bobby Blain and family (Lubbock), Jacki and husband Matt Moore (Celina) and their children Blain (Aubrey) and Taylor (Frisco).

“Papa Joe” has now been reunited with his precious “BeBe”  whom he has missed but not stopped loving for the last 17 years.  They are rejoicing in the presence of our wonderful Lord.

Friends are invited to a “Celebration of Life” on Friday, February 21, at 1:00 p.m. at Primrose Facility Chapel, located at 10003 Upland Ave., Lubbock, Texas.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation at www.trtf.org/donate, Connect Church, https://connectlubbock.org/,  Saving Grace Rescue LBK, https://www.savinggracelbk.org/ or American Cancer Society, https://donate.cancer.org/.

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