Ms. Joan S Brown

Just four months shy of her 91st birthday, Joan S. Brown passed away on January 20, 2026. If her long, full life was a tapestry, it would be woven with rich and deep colors representing Joan’s abundant strength and intense character.

Her life tapestry would be filled with images of her family’s air military service legacy—a legacy that was a source of profound pride for her and which she grew. Joan adored her father, General Ray Stecker, who learned to fly at Randolph Field, lead the 365th Fighter Squadron in WWII, and helped build the United States Air Force. After graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work, Joan married a young Richard Brown in 1957, after he had pinned on his wings as an Air Force pilot. Joan then spent the core of her life as a “military wife,” serving alongside Richard Brown all over the world, from the Philippines to Germany. She not only made a home for her family at every duty-station, she found her own path of service. She was a Red Cross Volunteer, writing letters for wounded GIs as they returned from Vietnam, and providing special care to servicemen at various military hospitals throughout the world. She developed a niche as a super talented Christmas cookie baker and decorator, each year making over 300 intricately decorated Santa-, stocking-, and wreath-shaped cookies, bringing joy to military children spending the holiday season away from their extended family.

As Joan’s military life concluded, she made Schertz, Selma, and Universal City her home, weaving herself into that community since 1976. She was an active member of the Universal City Methodist Church, a community she held very dear. She maintained her sorority-sister and military-family friendships and developed new ones. And Joan was a GREAT friend. She was always available for coffee and conversation. When someone needed a casserole, Joan was at that person’s front door with one of her delicious standards: Beef stroganoff, sweet and sour chicken, or her amazing spaghetti sauce (along with a plate of chewy brownies, the best on the planet!!).

Joan’s heart was the foundation of the tapestry of her life. Strength and independence were instilled in her by her mother, Jacquelyn Densten Seidel. No doubt, that tapestry bears the marks of the deep suffering Joan endured as she battled bipolar disorder for over thirty years. But her strength was the very fiber of Joan’s soul—and no matter the difficulty her disease caused, she maintained her sense of self and caring for others.

Joan leaves a family who loved her, each member an integral thread of her life tapestry. Her heart for the Air Force and military service extended to her son, Col. (Ret.) David Brown, and her grandchildren Lt. Col. Jacquelyn Schneider (and husband Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jeffrey Schneider), Maj. Philip Brown (and wife Lt. Col. Kathy Brown), and Maj. Marie Hunsuck (and husband Maj. Parker Hunsuck) all joining the Air Force, several as pilots. Her creativity and philanthropy live on through her daughter, Retired Judge Renée Yanta (and husband Virgil Yanta) and and her grandson, Brandon Forinash (and his wife Bailey Baker), as a published author. And she marveled at her great grandchildren: Josie and Jefferson Schneider, Hayley and Carson Brown, Zachary and Alison Hunsuck, and Maeve Forinash.

The family is blessed to honor Joan by a private service at her graveside on Monday, January 26, 2026, at Sunset Cemetery.

Joan’s family extends their deep thanks to the staff of TruCare Living Centers who took such great care of their mother/grandmother for several years, along with the amazing nurses at Northeast Methodist Hospital and Hope Hospice.