Joan Criswell Varner

Joan Criswell Varner

AUGUST 7, 1933 – AUGUST 29, 2021

Joan Criswell Varner, 88, went home to be with the Lord on August 29, 2021, with her family by her side in Houston, where she had lived since 1979. Joan was born in Seminole, Oklahoma, on August 7, 1933, the 3rd child of Raymond Elery Criswell and Willie Phay Criswell. As a young girl, Joan was raised in McAlester and Seminole, Oklahoma.

Joan attended Oklahoma Baptist University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in music. While at OBU, she met the love of her life, Victor Varner, and they married in the summer of 1952 in McAlester, Oklahoma. After graduation, they headed to Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where they both received their seminary degrees. Joan later received a Master’s degree in music from the University of Oklahoma.

Joan was an accomplished musician, and she used her God-given talents to teach, compose, conduct and inspire others with her musical gifts. Her teaching influence spanned from the Seminario Teológico Batista do Norte do Brasil in Recife, Brasil, to Grand Canyon College (now University) in Phoenix, Arizona. Closer to home, Joan served as the Music Director at Duchesne Academy for a decade. It was during her time at Duchesne that she composed her greatest choral composition, “When I Am Silent”, following a trip to Auschwitz. In 2010, Joan was honored by the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) at their yearly gathering in San Antonio for her choral compositions, and specifically for her composition honoring the victims of the Holocaust.

Joan is survived by her two daughters and their spouses Lynn and Mike Cookson, Jan and Doug Whitehead; seven grandsons and their spouses, Stuart and Stephanie Schlemeyer, Michael and Jordan Whitehead, Daniel and Samantha Whitehead, Michael and Katelyn Cookson, Robert Cookson, Zachary Cookson and Richard and Laura Cookson; and four great grandchildren, Judah Whitehead, Wilder Whitehead, Cameron Schlemeyer and Jesse Whitehead.

Joan was an dedicated member of Tallowood Baptist Church. She was very active in the music program at Tallowood as a faithful member of the Tallowood Choir, a group that she dearly loved. Over the years, it was common to see Joan assisting with the bell choir, playing in Christmas concerts and for Sunday School classes. Upon retirement, Joan loved assisting Vic in leading tours to the Holy Land and many other places around the world.

Joan’s honorary pallbearers are her two sons-in-law Mike Cookson and Doug Whitehead, and her grandsons Stuart Schlemeyer, Michael Whitehead and Daniel Whitehead.

A memorial service will be held at 12:45pm on September 7, 2021, at Tallowood Baptist Church, 555 Tallowood Road, Houston, Texas 77024; a family and friends gathering will begin at 11:30am.