Joan Stewart (Sheesley) Goodyear

Waunakee, Wisconsin – Joan Stewart Sheesley Goodyear, 90, passed away on August, 10, 2020, at Waunakee Manor.

She was born on January 18, 1930, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late Edward J. and Anna K. (Stewart) Sheesley.

After graduating from William Penn High School in Harrisburg, PA, Joan married the love of her life, Chalmers Goodyear, and embarked on a wonderful journey together.  They moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where Joan worked for Mutual of Omaha and later moved to Alaska with the Air Force in 1950.   After relocating to Long Island, Joan became a librarian for the Grumman Aircraft Company and then began to raise a family.  Joan traveled to Europe several times in the 1960s and led her children, Rob and Suzy, on tours of different cities while Chalmers attended meetings.  Throughout the years when Chalmers was transferred to different locations, Joan always selected a new home for the family and personally painted, wallpapered and made curtains for each home.  Joan even designed and oversaw the construction of a new home in Easton, Maryland.

Joan was a Cub Scout Den Mother, a class mother many times over, and always attended her children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events.  She treasured spending time with her grandsons and enjoyed many years living in the Cherokee neighborhood of Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and dachshunds. 

She is survived by her children, daughter, Suzanne (Graham) Goodyear Lukey and their children Braedon and Brian; son, Robert (Christopher); niece, Eileen (David) Fuller; and grand nephews, Joseph Fuller, Daniel (Ashley) Fuller and their sons, Boston and Mason.  She is preceded in death by her husband, Chalmers M. Goodyear, and parents.

A gathering of family and friends will be held at a later date.  Interment will be at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church Cemetery in Mifflintown, PA at the convenience of the family.

Memorial Donations can be made to the Madison Humane Society, March of Dimes, or Agrace Hospice of Madison, Wisconsin.

The family wishes to express their sincere thanks and appreciation to the current and past staff of Waunakee Manor and to Agrace Hospice.

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joan Stewart (Sheesley) Goodyear, please visit our floral store.