Joe Lee Provence (Plainview)
Joe Lee Provence died at the age of 82 on Friday, January 21, 2022. Funeral services are scheduled for Friday, January 28, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at College Heights Baptist Church in Plainview, TX with Dr. Travis Hart officiating.
Visitation will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at the funeral home.
Joe was born on August 29, 1939. in Hillsboro, Texas to E.E. and Mildred Harris Provence. He attended school in Hillsboro before moving to Arlington, Texas where he graduated from Arlington High School in 1957. He graduated from Wayland Baptist University in 1966. Joe married Freda Taylor on August 18, 1961, in Lubbock, Texas. They celebrated 60 years of marriage in August of 2021. Joe was employed in 1967 as Wayland’s Director of Recruitment and Promotion. Nearly 40 years later, Joe had worked his way through Wayland as director of Public Relations then moved to student development as director of Student Activities. In that position, he was the cheerleader sponsor and directed the Miss Wayland Pageant. The winner of the pageant at that time competed in the Miss Texas Pageant which is a preliminary to the Miss America Pageant. Taking the helm as alumni services in 1985, the last 20 years of Joe’s 44-year career at Wayland were in the Office of Alumni Services. He was named Emeritus Director of Alumni Services by the Wayland Board of Trustees in 2006. Joe retired in 2007. Joe was ordained as a deacon at College Heights Baptist Church in Plainview in August 2016. He was also involved in numerous community and Wayland activities. He was recently honored for 41 years of service to the Runningwater Draw RSVP. He was a founding member and president of the Friends of Music (now, Friends of the Creative Arts) at Wayland Baptist University. Most recently, Joe and Freda were inducted into the Wayland Athletic Hall of Honor.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Sam Provence, and a sister Louise Provence Laine.
Joe is survived by his wife Freda Provence of Plainview; his sister, Sarah Provence McCorkle of Arlington, and his nephew, Brad McCorkle & wife Peggy from Arlington.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorials to the School of Creative Arts at Wayland Baptist University, 1900 West 7th Street, Plainview, TX 79072.
