Joan Pollard Schilling was surrounded by her family and love as the Lord called her home on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, after a long, reoccurring battle with cancer.

She was born February 13, 1930 to Joseph and Marguerite Pollard in Sheridan, Wyoming. She grew up in Monarch, Wyoming, and attended high school in Sheridan.

She met a handsome “Navy boy,” Gerald “Jerry” Schilling and they crossed over the border to Lodge Grass, Montana, to elope March 27, 1949.

Joan loved to spend time with Jerry hunting, camping, traveling, or entertaining friends and family.

They celebrated their Golden 50th Anniversary shortly before Jerry passed away in 1999.

When they decided to start a family, their first blessing came as a daughter, Sandra; two years later, Bruce blessed and completed their family.

They lived in Sheridan and then moved to Worland when the kids were in elementary school.

Joan worked at the Boys’ School in Worland while they lived there.

Joan and Jerry moved to Gillette in 1970. In her early years living there, she was a member of the DOES and multiple mixed and women’s bowling leagues.

She loved the Lord and found fellowship at various churches in Gillette. She most recently attended Emanuel Southern Baptist Church.

Joan was a fan of contemporary gospel music.

She loved taking drives - especially to the Big Horn Mountains where she had so many fond memories; she watched every camper or motor home go by and could recall a different memory for every one of them.

She was an animal lover and she had a mixture of dogs, cats, and birds all her life.

Her other passion was good food – she collected recipes, clipping them from various sources, storing them in cookie tins just like her mother had done. She always had fresh vegetables and fruit in her refrigerator and always something cooking on the stove.

She loved going out of town because that always meant a meal at a nice restaurant. Joan made every effort to keep the cookie jar full for anyone who came to visit.

The last year was hard for her not just because of her fight with cancer, but also because so many of her joys were compromised. The one constant, though, was the love for and from her family. Her family was by far her best and biggest accomplishment. She adored her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and companion pets. She surrounded herself with pictures of them all.

Joan is survived by her brother, George (Linda) Pollard of Kileen, Texas; children, Sandra (Tetsuo) Ota, and Bruce (Laurie) Schilling both of Gillette; her grandchildren Lance (Carrie) Ota of Kaysville, Utah, Christa (Ryan) Conklin, Trevor (Jodi) Schilling, Janell (Joe) Uhler of Gillette, and Trent Ota of Fort Collins, Colorado; and greatgrandchildren Jayden, Bryton, Tyler, Brooke, Cory, Riley and Caisen, Carter, Kadence, and beloved pet, Penny. She was preceded in death by her husband, mother, father, infant grandson Drew Schilling, half-sister, and half-brother.

Per her request, a private family gathering was held on Thursday, October 15th. Her cremated remains will be spread at a private location in the spring.

The Sheridan Press - November 11, 2009.