Joan Pletnik Nering

Joan Pletnik (Sorce) Nering, 83, passed away Thursday, April 2nd in Houston, Texas. She was born April 25, 1942 in Youngstown, Ohio - the daughter of John F. Pletnik and Ann Gleba Pletnik. She graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1960. She went on to attend Youngstown University where she joined the sorority Beta Sigma Omicron and was elected homecoming queen in 1961. She transferred to Mercyhurst and graduated with a degree in Art Education in 1965. She taught art in Cleveland for several years before meeting and later marrying her first husband Jim Sorce, a Coast Guard pilot, in 1966. Joan began her adventures as a single mom in Jose, California where she found a close-knit group of friends through skiing. She channeled her creativity into several enterprises including holiday arts & crafts, trading in antique stained & beveled glass windows and eventually acquired her real-estate license. Joan moved with her daughter Jennie to Houston during the 80's oil boom to pursue her real-estate career. This introduced her to a group of lifelong friends and she got involved with the Greater Houston Builders Association, volunteering for their annual awards gala and making the table centerpieces - she was honored for her years of service with an award in 1990. She also loved and volunteered for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, the Houston Opera, various theatre programs, and local feral cat spay/neuter programs. At the dawn of the computer era, her entrepreneurial spirit called again and she founded Bytes 'n Grins, a giftware website for "computer geeks" and teachers and she also invented and filed a patent for Sno-Go's pocket boots for skiing! In 2000 she worked the US Census where she met and later married Paul Nering, a NASA retiree who introduced her to the joy of hot air ballooning. They volunteered as balloon chase crew together until Paul passed away in 2005 and Joan continued participating in the ballooning community for many years after. Joan loved spending time with Paul's son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Dylana Nering, and spoiling her granddaughters Carmen (Nering) Morris and Reyna Nering. She also loved photography, animals (especially cats), and supporting LGBTQ+ causes including Omega House Hospice where she ultimately spent her final hours - a wonderful facility that provides comforting, compassionate end-of-life care for Houstonians with HIV/AIDS. Please consider making a donation in her honor to Omega House or your local no-kill animal shelter or spay/neuter program.