Our beloved mother, Joann Schilling, went to sleep on February 2, 2023,  and woke up in heaven  in the loving arms of her husband and our dearly missed father, George H. Schilling.  She is no longer in pain from post-polio syndrome and other constant ailments.

Our mom was born in Indiana on 2/21/1929 to Caroline and Lawrence Vandewalle, who preceded her in death. Her brothers Julian and Jere Vandewalle and sister Marie Vandewalle Snyder welcomed her to heaven, along with her son-in-law, Rich Rempel, her sisters-in-law Helen Schilling, Barb Schilling, and friends Dorothy Ross, Dorothy Geiser, and Jackie Stuart.

Joann is survived by her sisters-in-law Ev Vandewalle and Gretchen Vandewalle, her seven children, their spouses, 16 grandchildren & their spouses, and 18 great-grandchildren, who miss her tremendously already:  Carol Schilling Rodgers and her husband Tony (her son Jeffrey Schilling and his wife Ivy, their sons Moammar,  Muntazir, and Qa'im, Tony's daughter Janessa Rodgers and her daughters Dehja and Oriah); Nancy Schilling Barth (daughters Christine Myers, her children Declan and Teagan; Nicole Bartlett and her husband Justin; Maryann Martinez and her son Dominic; and Emily Barth and her fiancé Peter; Barbara Schilling;Ruth Schilling Moody and her husband Walter (son Cassidy and his wife Sara, and children Cecily, Winnie, and Oscar; and daughter Mackenzie Morrison and her husband Brandon, his son Kaleb, and their daughters Zoe, Quinn, and Collins;  and daughter Delaney Moody); David Schilling and his wife Janet (son Jared and his wife Renee;  and daughter Andrea Martin and her husband Grant, and their daughter Olivia); Michael Schilling and his wife Kathy (son Tom and his wife Rebecca and their sons Charlie and Theo;  and son Matthew); and Mary Schilling Rempel, (sons Ben and Joe and daughter Molly).

She cherished her friendships. She kept in touch with many nieces and nephews. Our mom never met a stranger and valued the dignity of every person who crossed her path. Special thanks to her long-time caregivers, Favi and Veronica.

When our family celebrated Mom's 80th birthday in 2009, the room was filled with laughter as we watched a DVD of her life put together with tender care by Mary and her husband Rich. Mary also created a book that told the story of Mom and Dad's courtship and marriage, providing all with treasured memories.  Her 90th birthday in 2019 was celebrated by nearly all her children, spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Joann was a Brownie troop leader and a Cub Scout den mother.  She volunteered to help with church rummage sales and school fundraisers. For 25 years, she was a volunteer coordinator for the American Cancer Society's program Angels on Wheels (later known as Road to Recovery), organizing more than 3000 rides per year.  She developed friendships with many of the drivers who volunteered to take patients to their cancer treatments.  She continued sending birthday and anniversary cards to all 'her' drivers even after she 'retired' in 2008. She won the Jefferson Award for her volunteer efforts.

Our mom was a regular letter writer to the Fresno Bee.  Her favorite topics were education, recycling, and politics. She was featured as a letter writer one year, and other articles were written about her. Not only did she write the Fresno Bee, she regularly sent news clippings and cartoons to her friends and family.  She didn't just clip any old articles, though.  She sent ones that she knew would tickle the fancy of the recipient, whether it was a Dear Abby column, a For Better or Worse cartoon, or an outrageous column or letter to the editor.  Other hobbies included quilting baby quilts for her numerous grandchildren,  photography, and watching two tvs at the same time to keep up with the news, Notre Dame, and Fresno State football, and her favorite shows.  One of her greatest pleasures was reading to and playing with her grandchildren.

Charities close to her heart were those that helped take care of the less fortunate, especially Holy Cross Women's Shelter and Poverello House.  She was a long-time member of the St. Paul Newman Center until she was no longer able to leave home easily.  She had a special fondness for the music of the contemporary choir, and donated an ebony upright grand piano in honor of her husband.

We will always miss our mom and dad, but we are happy they are together again.