Joe Belk Sr.

1926 - 2015

Joe Harvey Belk, Sr.
1926-2015
Joe Harvey Belk, Sr., died January 27, 2015, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 88. He was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, on December 3, 1926. He is survived by his wife of more than 64 years, Joan Pardue Belk of Houston; son Joe Belk, Jr., and daughter-in-law Ilene Garcia of San Antonio, Texas; daughter Jennifer Belk White and son-in-law Tom White of Lincoln, Nebraska; sister Catherine Belk Taylor of Lancaster, seven nephews and their families, and countless friends and admirers. He was the son of the late Thomas Wylie and Anna Mae McCain Belk and the brother of the late Mary Wylie Robinson and Nancy Turner.
Joe was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, having enlisted at the age of 17. He served in the Naval Air Corps as a radioman during World War II, then in the Navy's Construction Battalion in 1951-1952. In between, he met Joan in 1947, and the couple married on June 7, 1950. They moved to Houston in 1954 to attend the University of Houston, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He then worked in the oil industry as a geophysicist for more than thirty years, traveling all over the United States and to South America, Cuba, and Australia.
After retiring from geophysics, he enjoyed a second career in the car business. He worked primarily for Gillman Acura, selling cars to clients from all over the country. He was consistently among Acura's top salespeople nationwide, leading the Western U.S. in Acura sales at age 70. He retired from Gillman in December 2012 at the age of 86.
Sartorially, he was impeccable, consistently dressed in stylish suits, alligator boots, and Stetson hats. As the world around him became increasingly casual, he was able to captivate people just by entering a room. What really drew them in, however, was his charisma, as he possessed the gregariousness and quick wit to engage friends, colleagues, and even strangers in entertaining conversation.
Additionally, Joe worked to improve his community in a number of ways. As a member of Spring Branch Presbyterian Church, he served as elder and chaired the church's educational academy board for several years. He was an assistant for Boy Scout Troop 478 and a regional leader in the BSA's Mustang District for many years. In Lancaster, he was active in the Camp Creek Masonic Lodge; after moving to Houston, he belonged to the Arabia Shrine Temple. Throughout the 1970s, he coached his children's baseball and softball teams.
Joe was a genuine cheerleader for his adopted state. He and his family traveled the world in recent years, and he loved to tell anyone who would listen (but especially Yankees and foreigners) that Texas was the best place in the world and Houston was the best place in Texas.
To those closest to him, he was regarded as the kindest and most generous person of their acquaintance. He would do anything to help family and friends, he was a role model with unparalleled integrity, and he made a lasting impression on everyone he met. His loss is a profound one from which no one who really knew him will ever fully recover.
His life will be celebrated with a memorial service at Spring Branch Presbyterian Church, 1215 Campbell Road, on Saturday, January 31, at 11:00 a.m. A graveside service with Masonic rites and military honors will take place at Unity Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, South Carolina, on Wednesday, February 4, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children or the Spring Branch Presbyterian Church.