Joan Mathilda Wylie

Joan Wylie was born on September 15, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois, to the Rev. William A. Horn and Bertha Bremicker Horn. She joined her brother Paul, who was 20 years old, and her sister Ruth, who was 11. She was welcomed and loved in the family after her mother suffered through five children who didn’t survive after birth.

Her father’s ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) led them to various small farming communities in Illinois and then Michigan, until his health forced him into retirement. Her mother worked as the office manager at an insurance agency in Hart, Michigan, while Joan finished her education, graduating from Hart High School in 1952.

Joan attended Alma College in Michigan, where she met a good-looking senior named Richard “Dick” Wylie who offered her a ride home one weekend. That ride led to romance, and she left Alma after the fall semester of her second year to plan the wedding. The two were married on June 19, 1954, in Hart, and honeymooned in New York and Niagara Falls. They lived in Chicago while Dick was attending McCormick Theological Seminary to become a Presbyterian minister.

Joan and Dick had three children - Steven, Carol, and Janet - while Dick served churches in Michigan. Joan stayed home to raise their kids and sometimes babysat the children of neighbors or members of the church. In 1968, the family moved to Peru, Indiana, so that Dick could be the pastor of the Presbyterian church there. As the kids grew up, Joan started working as a teacher’s aide at one of the local elementary schools. Because she loved children so much, her work became her passion and joy.

In 1981, after Steve, Carol, and Janet had all graduated from high school, Dick got a job as an executive with the Synod of the Pacific, one of the regions in the Presbyterian Church, which required them to relocate to Sacramento, California. Joan got a job at the nearby elementary school to help two of the teachers there.

In the subsequent years, Joan relished the opportunity to care for her four grandchildren: Carol’s daughters Amie and Sarah and Janet’s daughter Megan and son Matthew. The grandkids were the light of her life, and she loved them fiercely.

After Dick retired from active ministry, he and Joan enjoyed traveling, visiting England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, and the Holy Land, as well as many places within the USA. They spent a month living in Hana on the island of Maui in Hawaii so that Dick could serve the local church there. Visiting other places gave them a greater appreciation for the home they shared in California.

In 2015, Dick and Joan sold their home and moved to an independent living facility in south Sacramento. They lived there for four years and enjoyed making new friends and having a strong sense of community. After four years, Dick’s health became more challenging, and they moved to an assisted living facility in Citrus Heights, California, to be closer in proximity to their daughter Janet. Sadly, Dick’s health continued to decline, and after spending months between hospitals and rehab facilities, he passed away in August 2020.

After 66 years of marriage, Joan found herself alone, but she also discovered a fortitude she didn’t realize she possessed. She moved to the independent living floor at the same facility, and she greatly enjoyed the company of many friends there. She also loved her favorite pastime, reading novels and biographies, and appreciated greatly when her children and their spouses came to visit.

In the last year, Joan’s physical abilities became more difficult for her, and she had to use a wheelchair to get around her apartment. She developed an intestinal infection in late May, 2026, that became too difficult to treat. She passed away in the very early morning on July 13, 2026, with her son Steve, daughter Janet, and son-in-law John by her side.

Joan was preceded in death by her husband Richard, her parents, her brother Paul, sister Ruth, and many other beloved family members. She is survived by her children Steve (Steve Gibson), Carol (Mark Sherman) and Janet (John Gong); her grandchildren Amie (Eric Olah), Sarah (Todd Fahlstrom), Megan, and Matthew; her great grandchildren Kennedy, Owen, MJ, and Bodhi; many beloved cousins, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, and grandnieces; as well as her many friends.