Joan M Stern

Joan Stern, 90, of Indianapolis, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 29, 2019 at her home following a battle with cancer.

Mrs. Stern was born on April 9, 1929 in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Edward and Margaret (Connors) Walsh.

After graduating from Lancaster Central High School near Bluffton, Indiana in 1947 she had a variety of jobs before marrying Lloyd Stern on August 26, 1950. They had a long happy marriage with numerous stops over the years. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and they spent four years living in a series of trailers at Air Force bases in Texas and Illinois. They met lifelong friends, and from an examination of photos from that time, laughed a lot. After the Air Force it was off to Purdue where Lloyd got his engineering degree. In 1959 he took a job with Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey and for the next 30 years they moved several times with stops in Columbus, Ohio, Geneva, Illinois, and finally the Indianapolis area.

Joan had a number of passions in her life. These included raising two boys and making sure they had all the opportunities to succeed in school and life, Purdue athletics and Colts football, and watercolor painting. She developed her love of painting while living in Geneva when she began taking classes from noted watercolor artist and teacher Ruth Van Sickle Ford. For the rest of her life she created beautiful artwork. Her other passion was her long, happy marriage to Lloyd. They navigated life together for nearly 60 years, providing a terrific example for a good marriage to their children and grandchildren.

Mrs. Stern is preceded in death by her beloved husband Lloyd. They had been married 57 years when he passed in 2007. She is survived by two sons – Dr. Arthur L. (Susan) Stern of Indianapolis and Dr. Steven K. (Suzanne Heinkel) Stern of Geneva, Illinois; three grandchildren, Jennifer, Jeffrey, and James, and Suzanne’s three children Christian, Anna, and Grace.

Mrs. Stern was also preceded in death by her parents, sisters Irene Bailey, Mariellen Byerly, and Gerry Huffman, and brothers Edward and Bernard Walsh.

Visitation will be from 11 am to 1 pm on Saturday, September 7, 2019, at John Knox Presbyterian Church, 3000 N. High School Road in Speedway, with the funeral service to follow. There will be a reception at the church following the service. Burial will take place at Washington Park North Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mrs. Stern’s memory may be made to John Knox Presbyterian Church.