Joan Taitel Wilson passed away on July 13, 2026, surrounded by her family, the day after collapsing while trimming flowers on her patio. She was born on May 11, 1939, in Washington, D.C., the second child of Cerna and Martin Taitel. Cerna met her future husband, Martin, while they were both at the University of Chicago, where she earned a degree in social work and he pursued a Ph.D. in economics. Before completing his doctorate, Martin was recruited by the Roosevelt administration to help develop economic policy, leading the young couple to begin their life together in Washington, D.C.

As a young child, Joan created her own language, understood only by her sister, Marna. She began speaking English when she entered kindergarten. Even then, she was determined; among her first words were “Me can do.”

When Joan was in third grade, Cerna and Martin divorced, and Cerna moved with her children to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Cerna married Jimmy, a beloved stepfather and Stanford graduate who encouraged Joan to attend Stanford. Joan loved math and met Bill Wilson during the fall quarter of her sophomore year in an advanced calculus class at Stanford. Joan and Bill fell in love, took extra classes to graduate early, and were married on March 25, 1961, in a small Episcopal church in Palo Alto. They moved immediately to San Diego, where Bill worked as a research engineer and Joan as an administrative assistant. Later that year they returned to Palo Alto, where Joan supported Bill through his master’s degree by working for Encyclopedia Britannica, editing math-programmed learning books.

After graduation, the Wilsons moved to a suburb of Buffalo, New York, where their daughters Wendy and Julie were born in 1963 and 1965. After four winters in upstate New York, they returned to California, where Bonnie was born in 1970. In 1973, as Joan faced health problems and Bill wanted more time with the family, they moved to the slower-paced community of Billings, Montana. Bill’s parents had bought a cabin in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains, which became a beloved weekend retreat for relaxing, horseback riding, fishing, and hiking. Each Friday in summer, Joan packed up the girls, their friends, and the family dogs for the trip.

Joan recovered her health and was advised to take life easy, but before long, she grew restless and began tutoring math to high school students and fundraising. Her fundraising work included KEMC’s first marathon, Alberta Bair’s first remodel and Gala co-chairmanship, and the Board of the Yellowstone Art Museum. She returned to school to earn her master’s degree. After the children left home, Joan worked for the Health Care Clinic, teaching nutrition classes and counseling clients. She and Bill built a new cabin near Bill’s parents’ cabin.

When Joan’s mother developed the early stages of Alzheimer’s, Joan moved her to Billings. Feeling she could not fully care for both her mother and her job, Joan retired. She then returned to volunteer work, co-chairing fundraisers for the YWCA home for abused women and for the remodel of the Billings Depot.

After Joan’s mother passed away and Bill retired, Joan and Bill moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, to be closer to their mountain cabin. They spent summers in the cabin and traveled throughout the world. Eventually, they moved back to Billings, where Joan enjoyed her book club and her bridge groups and returned to volunteer work, especially with hospice. Finally, five years ago, they made one last move to Missoula, Montana, to be close to their daughters. Joan continued to be an active hospice volunteer there.

Family was Joan’s highest priority, and they were the loves of her life: Bill, her husband of 65 years; her three daughters, Wendy, Julie, and Bonnie; their husbands, Paul Lang, Brian Loucks, and Chris Smith; and her three grandchildren, Lindsey Lang, Kate Smith, and Everett Smith. She is also survived by her sister Marna Cornell and stepsister Suzy Green.

In lieu of flowers, Joan would have appreciated a contribution to Partners Hope Foundation, PO Box 1262, Missoula, MT 59806, where she was a hospice volunteer.