Obituary of Joan T. Trew

Joan T. Trew passed peacefully from this earth to be with her Heavenly Father on December 31, 2024 at the age of 92.

Celebration of Life at 11:00 a.m. on January 11, 2025 at University Baptist Church, 2720 Wabash Ave., Fort Worth, TX, with reception immediately following at the church.

Joan was born September 29, 1932 in Opp, Alabama. She and her younger brother were raised by her grandparents in rural Alabama, and Joan never forgot her southern roots. Her famous tag line was that she “came from LA”, being lower Alabama. Aside from her love of traveling to Europe, Joan made annual trips back to southern Alabama, as well as the beaches of the Gulf Coast of Florida, where she was frequently joined by her children and grandchildren.

Joan married Harold Huggins and moved to Fort Worth in 1950. Soon thereafter, she welcomed both of her daughters, Jan and Debbie Huggins. Following the death of her first husband in 1961 she married Philip Trew, and from that marriage Philip Trew, Jr. was born.

In 1977, Joan obtained her real estate license and embarked on a highly successful career that would span more than four decades. She started that career with William Rigg Real Estate. Joan was mentored by Fort Worth business icons Cecil Ray, who was President of William Rigg at the time, as well as a neighbor, John Roach of Tandy Corporation. It was at William Rigg where Joan met her future business partner, Martha Williams. After a stint with Coldwell Banker, she and Williams brought their collective talents together and formed Williams Trew Real Estate Services in 2000. Williams Trew quickly emerged as a dominant residential real estate brokerage in the area, eventually becoming part of the Ebby Halliday Companies, an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway’s HomeServices of America. Joan officially retired in 2021 after some 44 years in the business and was honored in many quarters, including a Resolution by the Texas Legislature.

Joan’s awards and accolades during her career were many…too numerous to mention. After having been in the real estate business for only ten years, Joan was honored by Texas Monthly as being one of six top realtors in Texas. She received a Great Women of Texas award from the Fort Worth Business Press, the 2016 Fort Worth Executive of the Year award from the Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame, and the R.L. Purvis Distinguished Service Award from the Fort Worth Association of Realtors. Joan recruited and mentored countless agents in the real estate business, many of whom became top producers. The personal relationships she developed with her clients over the years were far more important to Joan than the number of deals she closed.

Joan truly loved Fort Worth, and during her career she consistently gave back to the community that she adored so much. She was active with the American Heart Association and was instrumental in bringing the first Ronald McDonald House to Fort Worth in 1981. Joan had a great passion for the arts in Fort Worth, particularly the Fort Worth Symphony and the museums. Joan’s motivations were first and foremost driven by her deep caring for others, especially those less fortunate than her. Fort Worth, Texas is a better place because of Joan Trew. She will be sorely missed by her many friends, colleagues, caregivers, and most of all, her family.

Joan was preceded in death by her husbands, Harold Huggins and Philip Trew, Sr., a brother, Bob Taylor, and a grandson at infancy, Drew Morgan. Joan is survived by her daughter, Jan Huggins Barry and husband, Dennis of Arlington; daughter, Deborah Huggins Morgan and husband, Marshall of Fort Worth; son, Philip Trew, Jr. and wife, Sarah of Weatherford; eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren who affectionately called her “Grammy”.

The family would like to extend thanks to the staff of the Stayton in Fort Worth, where Joan lived for several years prior to her death. In particular, the family wishes to thank the staff in the ICU and palliative care units of Texas Health Harris Methodist hospital for their kind, compassionate and loving care of Joan immediately prior to her passing.

In lieu of flowers the family request donations to be made to Dallas Baptist University, Truett Theological Seminary or Shriner's Hosptial for Children.