Joan Hoyt
Born: July 15, 1932 in Valparaiso, IN
Died: April 19, 2025 in DeKalb, IL
Joan Elizabeth (Garman) Hoyt was born July 15, 1932, in Valparaiso, Indiana to Elizabeth and Ambrose Garman. The family moved to Sycamore in 1936 where Joan attended Sycamore schools until her graduation in 1951. This was also the year she began dating the love of her life, Charles (Chuck) Hoyt. After graduation, Joan attended Northern Illinois University for two years. When Chuck was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve in the Army Corps of Engineers, stationed in Germany, Joan moved to Aurora to work at Jack & Jill Nursery School and waited for him to return.
On September 17, 1955, Joan and Chuck married at St. Mary's Church in Sycamore. A few years later they moved to the Hoyt family farm, where they raised their three daughters and ran the farm together for over 70 years.
Joan and Chuck loved to travel with their daughters and vacationed in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Washington, D.C., Florida, and the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Long after their daughters were raised, Joan and Chuck continued their travels to Estes Park, Colorado, each summer. They vacationed there every year until COVID-19 curtailed their travels. Over the years, Joan and Chuck added new annual vacation spots including Savannah, GA., Charleston, S.C., and Asheville, N.C. They also fell in love with Alaskan cruises and took many bus trips with Van Galder Tours and the NIU Travel Society to places such as Colorado, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Canada, Branson, MO., and New Orleans.
When her daughters were growing up, Joan volunteered her time as a Girl Scout leader for her daughters, a member of the Sycamore Music Boosters, and later as a member of the Ladies Auxiliary at Kishwaukee Hospital where she hand-sewed Christmas ornaments for the annual holiday fundraiser.
Joan enjoyed going to antique shows and flea markets. She was good natured, easy to get along with and loved to laugh.
Later in life, Joan began doing lovely counted cross stitch projects with new friends from neighboring states where they would spend weekends stitching and sharing stories. These women, as well as many fellow friends from her days in school, became lifelong friends. Wherever she went, Joan made new friends and brightened the day of everyone she met with her kindness, sense of humor, and generosity.
Joan is survived by her husband of nearly 70 years, Charles Hoyt; her daughters Cheryl (James) Zambroski, Cathy Cradduck, Krena Hoyt; her three grandchildren Jessica Quinn (Chris Janes) of Sycamore, Jody Quinn (Kyle Banas) of Plano, and Corey (Carla) Cradduck of Düsseldorf, Germany; her two great-granddaughters Lucy Quinn-Tomlinson and Lydia Bruce, both of Sycamore; and her brother, John Garman.
Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Elizabeth and Ambrose Garman, her infant sister Jann, and her brother Paul.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Give DeKalb County, 475 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore, IL 60178, givedekalbcounty.org.
The family thanks the staff, doctors and nurses at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, Oak Crest, and Heartland Hospice for their kind and gentle care of Joan.
Visitation will be held at 12:00 pm Thursday, April 24 with a Funeral service following at 2:00 pm at Olson's Quiram Chapel, 1245 Somonauk St., Sycamore, IL 60178, followed by burial at Mayfield Congregational Cemetery, 28405 Church Rd., Sycamore.
Arrangements by Olson's Quiram Sycamore Chapel, 1245 Somonauk St., Sycamore, IL 60178; 815-895-6589. Visit www.olsonfh.com to share a memory or leave a condolence.