Jo Landers Obituary

Jo Delle Landers, 73, of Aubrey, TX, passed away peacefully Friday, July 11, 2025, in Aubrey, TX. Jo Delle was born August 18, 1951, in Dallas, TX to Thelbert O. Landers and Thelma Padgett.
As a child, Jo Delle loved to play business and always wanted to be in charge. Naturally, she was the president of the neighborhood club that met in our playhouse. Jo Delle played all the sports you could think of doing, and she was almost always the fastest. Playing at the park in Jr High, Jo Delle found her passion and talent for tennis, eventually becoming city champ- several times.
Jo Delle was voted the Most Athletic in high school and had the honor of being the named a State Champion of Texas high schools in 1969. This led to achieving many additional successes on the North Texas Tennis Team. Graduating with a Recreation degree in 1973, she earned the perfect job as the Director of Tennis Programs for GP Parks and Recreation. Jo Delle taught lessons, ran league plays and tournaments.
In the late 70s and early 80s, she moved into working as the pro at prestigious private tennis clubs. Jo Delle trained professional athletes all over north Dallas and Fort Worth. In 2008 Jo Delle was inducted into Grand Prairie Parks Hall of Fame.
Jo Delle was always interested in innovative and alternative approaches to improving health. Part- time she would sell vitamins, shakes etc. This led her to join Forever Living Products, based on the healing properties of aloe vera. Her sister Laura joined her and it was there that Jo Delle really grew as a speaker, doing small-group direct selling meetings (like Mary Kay).
In the early 90s a dear GP friend, Ray Robbins, approached her about joining a company doing groundbreaking research on aloe vera and other plants. Their high-quality nutrition products were helping improve the health of many people. This was right up her alley! They could use her enthusiasm, her journalistic way with words and leadership qualities.
In 1994 Jo Delle joined Mannatech as one of their first employees and enjoyed a productive varied career there for 20 years, retiring in 2014. Early on she believed the company needed to do more than send out a newsletter (which she edited and wrote for) to keep the field informed. She started regular conference calls to keep everyone in the loop. This made the associates in the field feel like partners in the decision-making process. She became the main liaison between the company and the field and on their incentive trips, organizing everything that kept things rolling. Oh, the fun they had with Jo Delle: the idea girl, the instigator, and cheerleader!!
Jo Delle is survived by her life partner, Donna Sims of Aubrey, TX; two sisters, Lou Anne Mauldin and husband Gary of Ft. Worth, TX, Laura Lynne Kunkelman and husband Gary of Krugerville, TX; nieces, Beth Kunkelman Koenig and husband Jake, Becca Kunkleman Deggs and husband Chase; nephews, Alan Mauldin, Joshua Mauldin and wife Jessica Grady, Scott Mauldin, and Bradley Kunkelman; great nieces and nephews, Ella Mauldin, Padgett Mauldin, Liana Jo Delle Mauldin, Rivers Mauldin, Zachary Koenig, and William Koenig; and many cousins and other family members.
Jo Delle is preceded in death by her parents, Thelbert and Thelma Landers.
Visitation will be held 6:30PM - 8:00PM, Thursday, July 17, 2025, at Slay Memorial Chapel in Aubrey, TX. An additional visitation will be held 10:30AM, Friday, July 18, 2025, at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX. Funeral services will begin at 11:00AM with Rev. Fran Patterson officiating. Interment will be at Moore Memorial Gardens in Arlington, TX at 1PM Friday, July 18, 2025.
Online condolences may be shared at www.slaymemorialfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are under the direction of Terri Slay and Slay Memorial Funeral Center.