Genette Kay Willbanks' Obituary
Genette Kay Willbanks
Genette Kay Willbanks of Spring, Texas passed away at home on March 20, 2023 at the age of 75. She was surrounded by the love of her family and will be remembered as an amazing wife, mother, and someone who loved using her knowledge and talents to help people.
She is survived by her devoted husband of 14 years, Ian Thomas Grain; daughter Gina Willbanks (Jeff Pretzel) of Spring, TX; daughter Ginny Morrison (Nick) of Houston, TX; sister-in-law Lou Willbanks Chachere (John) of Houston, TX; and sister-in-law Vicky Parr of Kingsland, TX. She was preceded in death by her parents Leon and Edith Emshoff of Lake Jackson, TX; her brother Jay David Parr of Kingsland, TX; and her first husband Gregory Willbanks.
Genette was born on January 5, 1948 in Freeport, Texas. She graduated from Brazosport High School in 1966, and from the University of Texas in 1970 with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She began her teaching career at an elementary school in La Marque, TX in Galveston County. She later moved home to Lake Jackson to work for Brazosport Independent School District where she taught special education at Jane Long Elementary, and later special education and 5th grade at Bess Brannen Elementary. Genette was a creative and inspiring teacher and made a lasting impact in the lives of many of her students.
After more than a decade of teaching, Genette chose to become a stay-at-home Mom and channeled her passion for helping others in to volunteer work. She was active in the Junior Service League as well as various school booster clubs for band, choir, and drill team for her daughters. After her daughter Gina discovered a love of community theater, Genette became an active volunteer at The Center for the Arts and Sciences and was recognized with several awards through the years for her service. She played many different roles supporting The Center and its productions including managing the box office and helping to convert it from general admission to reserved seating, creating flyers and programs, designing show logos and t-shirts, running props, and serving as the Producer for several productions.
When Genette moved to Spring in 2009 to be closer to her daughters, she quickly became involved in her local community including publishing a weekly community email and serving on the yard of the month committee. She also took her volunteer work digital and was very active for over 10 years in an online immigration forum where she helped people navigate the complexities of the US immigration system and taught them how to do taxes.
A service celebrating Genette’s life will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 11:00 AM in the chapel at South Park Funeral Home (1310 N. Main Street, Pearland, TX). The family will be available for visitation and fellowship with light refreshments immediately following the service. After visitation, a private interment for family and close friends will take place at 2:00 PM at South Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Genette’s memory to the SPCA of Brazoria County (https://spca-brazoria.com/donation/).
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