Sybil Joann Painter

Sybil JoAnn Painter, known by all as JoAnn, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 12th, 2026, in Pleasanton, CA. Her love, kindness, generosity, strength, adventurous spirit, and smile will always be remembered.

Born on July 30th, 1936, to James and Sybil Justis in Oklahoma City, JoAnn was the fifth of seven children. When she was quite young, the family moved to Bakersfield. It was there that she attended school, graduating from Bakersfield High School with the class of 1954. She married Jay Donovan Siglin in August of 1953, and they moved to Tehachapi where they raised three children, Stephen (Steve), Jamie, and Kelly.

Inspired by Amelia Earhart, around her 20th birthday, she was given an introductory flight at Meadows Field in Bakersfield. From that moment on, she never looked back. Self-taught in typing and dictation skills, she took a part time job at the Tehachapi Airport as an administrative assistant for Fred Harris at the Tehachapi Glider Port, trading work for flight time. From the moment of her first solo flight in a Sailplane, she began the life-long pursuit of becoming an aviator – "an artist in love with flight."

JoAnn spent over 15 years with the Tehachapi Unified School District advancing from a part-time school office assistant to the executive secretary for the Superintendent of Schools. Attending classes at night, she earned her Associate of Arts degree from Bakersfield College. Yet, throughout these accomplishments, flying remained her greatest passion.

She held numerous Aviation Ratings, including Commercial Glider, Single Engine Land, Multi Engine Land, Sea Plane, Certified Flight Instructor, Airline Transport Pilot (ATP), and Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic. She bought and sold airplanes, taught flying in Sailplanes and Single Engine Aircraft. In 1977, she was selected to fly in the Final Powder Puff Derby, a commemorative transcontinental precision air race in which she, and copilot Linda Paul, flew her classic mint-condition 1949 Cessna 140A.

Her second marriage to Weneth D. Painter was a match made in heaven as she found a partner whose passion for flight rivaled her own. The two of them quickly became an aviation fixture in the Antelope Valley. Together they ran a small flight school, JoWen Aviation, which provided an opportunity to fly and instruct in multiple types of aircraft.

JoAnn advanced her aviation career by running for and winning a position on the Board of Directors for the "all but neglected" East Kern Regional Airport in Mojave, CA. She eventually became President of the Board which oversaw the airport's development. There, she was part of

the team that transformed the airport into the first civilian space port. And she took pride in the groundbreaking research at the Mojave Space Port.

Together, she and Wen witnessed historic moments including Dick Rutan and Jenna Yeager's non-stop global flight in the Voyager, Burt Rutan's Spaceship One becoming the first civilian aircraft to fly into space, and the first, and many other, Space Shuttle landings at Edwards AFB.

After Wen retired from NASA, their passion for aviation led to both working at the National Test Pilot School at the Mojave Spaceport, teaching flight testing to domestic and international pilots. Their roles allowed them to travel widely, make global connections, live in Johannesburg, South Africa, collaborate with the South African Air Force, instruct pilots in Indonesia attend European aviation seminars, and share a lunch near Moscow with a fellow aviation enthusiast.

For JoAnn, life was a continuous adventure, and the next opportunity was just around the corner. She soared over the Tehachapi Mountains, drifted above the desert in a hot air balloon, flew in the backseat of jet aircraft, owned an aerobatic biplane, and, at one time, a race plane named "Holy Smoke"! She truly enjoyed sharing her love of aviation with her children, grandchildren, friends, and gave many young people their first ride in an airplane. She served as an inspiring figure for those interested in pursuing careers in aviation.

JoAnn Painter was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and aunt. And she was an incredible friend!

JoAnn joins her late husband Weneth Painter, daughter Diana Kelly Siglin Cronk, parents James and Sybil Justis, brothers James and Hollis Justis, sisters Roberta Sheldon, Prentiss Shepherd, Monetta Asay, grandson Justin Cronk, and her stepson Kent Painter. She is survived by her sister Merry Osborne, son Steve (Claudia) Siglin, daughter Jamie (Chuck) Raye, stepdaughters Pamela (Terry) Carroll and Debbie Painter-Magnusson, her grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and her large extended aviation family.

Services will be held Thursday, February 5, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, at Greenlawn Funeral Home, 3700 River Blvd., Bakersfield, CA. 93305

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her name to the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund or https://www.ninety-nines.org/donation.htm.