Joyce Gehlhaar

1941 - 2022

Joyce Elaine Gehlhaar

1941 - 2022

Joyce Elaine Gehlhaar, 81, passed away peacefully on July 17, 2022 in Placerville, California. Joyce was a loving mother and grandmother, as well as a school librarian with a long career bringing the joy of books to many students.

Joyce was born on January 29, 1941 near her family home in King Ferry, NY. She was the daughter of the late J. Theodore and Genevieve (Myers) Dillon. After graduating college with a degree in library science, Joyce worked as a teacher and librarian at U.S. dependent schools in Europe. In 1967 she met and married her husband, Gert Ulrich Gehlhaar, at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. They welcomed the birth of daughter Heidi in 1978 at Andrews AFB in Maryland. Gert, Joyce, and Heidi settled in Lompoc, California in 1981 where Joyce worked as an elementary school librarian and a library processing specialist until her retirement in 2005. In 2019, Gert and Joyce moved to El Dorado Hills, CA.

Joyce enjoyed antique car tours and camping trips with her family, and her favorite pastime was playing duplicate bridge. Joyce taught bridge classes and served as director in local games and tournaments for many years. She reached the ranking of Sapphire Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League.

Joyce is survived by her daughter and her husband, Heidi and Michael, and her grandchildren, Annika and Cyrus. Joyce is preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Richard (Bruce) and Robert; and her husband, Gert.

Joyce will be honored with a memorial service on Friday August 26, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Green Valley Mortuary & Cemetery in Rescue, CA. Details and a livestream of the service will be available at greenvalleymortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friends of the El Dorado Hills Library at friendsoftheedhlibrary.org/give or by mailing a check (no online donation option) to the Friends of the Lompoc Library at 501 E. North Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436.