Joel Kent McClatchy (85) of Frisco, TX went to his eternal rest Tuesday, March 30, 2021.
Joel was born in 1935 to C.T. “Tal” and Daisy McClatchy, in Coleman County, TX, the youngest of three siblings. He graduated from Bangs High School, earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Texas and a Master of Education from Howard Payne College.
In 1958, Joel married Dianne Dikes in Early, TX. The newlyweds settled in Texas City where Joel taught math and coached tennis and basketball. During this time they welcomed their daughter, Cyndi, and five years later their son, Steve.
In 1966, Joel was recruited by NASA to develop course materials to teach engineers aspects of those first computers. He also worked on flight simulators for Apollo missions 11-13 and the Skylab module. While working for NASA in Houston, Joel moved his young family to the suburb of Webster, TX, and served on the City Council and as a volunteer fireman. In the early 1970s, Joel again moved hi