Loy Wiley, 86, of Oxford, Ohio, passed away peacefully on December 29, 2025, after a courageous battle with chronic pain and illness. She is survived by beloved family including daughters Jennifer Gould (Jack) and Elizabeth Taylor (Chris); her cherished grandchildren, Alex, Kristen, Sam and Will; nieces Mara Brown, Shana Brown, Jasmine Appleberry, and Robin Appleberry and their families; and her mentee and dear family friend, Scholastica Mbithe Burney. Loy was predeceased by her father, the Honorable Wesley E. Brown, her mother Mary A. (Miller) Brown, and her brother Miller Brown. Throughout her life, Loy was enveloped by a wide circle of lifelong friends and family who provided her with great joy. She was fiercely independent, and as her hospice nurse Angela said, she was a "Frank Sinatra" type, doing it her way until the end.
Born Mary Maloy Brown on February 18, 1939, in Hutchinson, Kansas, Loy lived a remarkable life, filled with laughter, wisdom, and an indomitable spirit. She played piano, was a Girl Scout (later serving as a regional board president), and attended Girls Nation and Model UN, traveling alone by train to Washington DC at age 18. She graduated from the University of Kansas where she was a Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member and later earned an MBA from the University of Dayton. Her meaningful and diverse career journey began at Smith, Kline & French in Philadelphia where she was a medical writer, becoming an editor at Nursing magazine, head editor of Nursing Life, and owner and CEO of Wiley Associates in Dayton, Ohio, where she raised her family. After leaving the publishing world, she started a career as a technical writer at the engineering and design firm Woolpert, Inc., becoming a Certified City Planner and ultimately the company's first female partner.
Loy left a legacy of generosity and volunteerism. She was a strong advocate for girls and women, public education, and democracy. She was a board member of the Dayton United Way, Dayton Bach Society, and the Avon Lake City Schools Foundation. Her involvement in the Global Give Back Circle Program inspired trips to Kenya, and she organized a delivery of medical supplies to a hospital in India. She was a Stephen Minister trainer and lay Eucharistic minister in the Episcopal Church. Loy cherished her time as a Selection Committee Member for the Cleveland International Film Festival and passionately followed college basketball, cheering on her beloved KU Jayhawks with a Rock Chalk cheer. An enthusiastic traveler, she lived in Mexico during a summer in college, once called Greece home, and enjoyed multiple visits to Europe, as well as Antarctica, Iceland, and the Baltic Sea. An avid reader, as a child she read to other children in iron lungs during the polio epidemic. Later, she was sustained by the wit and wisdom found in the works of Molly Ivins, Billy Collins, and David Sedaris.
Always an animal lover, Loy tried to purchase a mail order pet skunk in grade school, talking a friend's mom into writing a check by saying she needed to buy an anniversary gift for her parents. She eventually had to settle on a collection of ceramic skunks. Her beloved dogs throughout her life included Fritzy, Susie, Holly, and Quincy, who is now living happily in Avon Lake.
The footprints Loy left behind are etched on the hearts of her family, friends, and the countless lives she touched, and her light will continue to shine brightly in the legacy she has left behind. We will honor her memory with a celebration of life on March 21, 2026 in Oxford, Ohio, with details forthcoming.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Cincinnati (https://hospiceofcincinnati.org/donate/) or Heiffer International (https://www.heifer.org/give). For online condolences, please visit Paul R Young Funeral Home (https://www.paulyoungfuneralhome.com/obituary/Loy-Wiley).
Born Mary Maloy Brown on February 18, 1939, in Hutchinson, Kansas, Loy lived a remarkable life, filled with laughter, wisdom, and an indomitable spirit. She played piano, was a Girl Scout (later serving as a regional board president), and attended Girls Nation and Model UN, traveling alone by train to Washington DC at age 18. She graduated from the University of Kansas where she was a Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member and later earned an MBA from the University of Dayton. Her meaningful and diverse career journey began at Smith, Kline & French in Philadelphia where she was a medical writer, becoming an editor at Nursing magazine, head editor of Nursing Life, and owner and CEO of Wiley Associates in Dayton, Ohio, where she raised her family. After leaving the publishing world, she started a career as a technical writer at the engineering and design firm Woolpert, Inc., becoming a Certified City Planner and ultimately the company's first female partner.
Loy left a legacy of generosity and volunteerism. She was a strong advocate for girls and women, public education, and democracy. She was a board member of the Dayton United Way, Dayton Bach Society, and the Avon Lake City Schools Foundation. Her involvement in the Global Give Back Circle Program inspired trips to Kenya, and she organized a delivery of medical supplies to a hospital in India. She was a Stephen Minister trainer and lay Eucharistic minister in the Episcopal Church. Loy cherished her time as a Selection Committee Member for the Cleveland International Film Festival and passionately followed college basketball, cheering on her beloved KU Jayhawks with a Rock Chalk cheer. An enthusiastic traveler, she lived in Mexico during a summer in college, once called Greece home, and enjoyed multiple visits to Europe, as well as Antarctica, Iceland, and the Baltic Sea. An avid reader, as a child she read to other children in iron lungs during the polio epidemic. Later, she was sustained by the wit and wisdom found in the works of Molly Ivins, Billy Collins, and David Sedaris.
Always an animal lover, Loy tried to purchase a mail order pet skunk in grade school, talking a friend's mom into writing a check by saying she needed to buy an anniversary gift for her parents. She eventually had to settle on a collection of ceramic skunks. Her beloved dogs throughout her life included Fritzy, Susie, Holly, and Quincy, who is now living happily in Avon Lake.
The footprints Loy left behind are etched on the hearts of her family, friends, and the countless lives she touched, and her light will continue to shine brightly in the legacy she has left behind. We will honor her memory with a celebration of life on March 21, 2026 in Oxford, Ohio, with details forthcoming.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Cincinnati (https://hospiceofcincinnati.org/donate/) or Heiffer International (https://www.heifer.org/give). For online condolences, please visit Paul R Young Funeral Home (https://www.paulyoungfuneralhome.com/obituary/Loy-Wiley).
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