Joan Wile, 88

Joan Wile, born Georgianna Townsend on May 2, 1936, to Catharine Goode in Luray, Va., died Aug. 27, 2024, in Rathdrum, Idaho.

Her life of joy and opportunity began Dec. 3, 1936, when — wearing only a diaper and wrapped in a ragged blanket — she was handed over to Leonore and George Phillips. No birth certificate; only a small scrap of paper conveyed her birth name, date and the hope that “she will have a good home.” That she did. Never adopted, her caring and nurturing parents provided a wonderful home life and solid support for her education and social growth. 

In 1942, the family moved to Richland, Wash., following a job offer for George from General Electric to continue his millwright occupation at the Hanford Atomic Energy facility. Joan attended Richland schools, actively participated in sports — particularly basketball and field hockey — and graduated from Columbia (Richland) High School in 1954. Once a Bomber, always a Bomber.  

The next four years were spent at Washington State College (University) in Pullman, majoring in elementary education. A young man she met during her first few months in college finally got around to asking her for a date in January 1957. Quickly, their dating became steady, and she married Dale Wile in Wenatchee on June 15. They returned to Pullman in the fall and completed their studies at the end of that school year. With Dale’s employment in television broadcasting, they spent three years in Portland, Ore.; four years in Eugene, Ore.; four years in Yakima, Wash.; two years in New Jersey; and five years in Michigan. Their first daughter, Jill, was born in Portland; their second daughter, Kim, was born in Eugene.  

With a desire to return to the Northwest to be closer to family, they turned their interests in a different direction and, in 1975, purchased a hardware store/building supply business in Coulee City, Wash. Joan worked in the store and later began teaching for the Coulee-Hartline school district, becoming reading coordinator. In 1984, they moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, where Dale became manager of the Co-op Country Stores and Joan worked in the hardware department and substituted in the school district. They retired in 1999 and moved to a senior community in Rathdrum, Idaho, in 2014. All together, they lived in 19 homes (houses and apartments), in 11 communities, in five states. Joan frequently — and laughingly — said to Dale, “Just give me three weeks to pack for the next move.” At every new location, Joan was quick to make friends with neighbors, other school parents and work associates. She had a special talent for decorating their homes and skillfully sewed outfits for the girls.  

Joan is survived by her husband of 67 years; daughters Jill (Duane) Spurbeck, Spokane, and Kim (Chris) Jorgensen, Coulee City; grandchildren Brianne, Ian, Brittany, Conor and Fiona; and great-grandchildren Lydia, Burkleigh, Hattie and Phayre.

At Joan’s request, there will be no formal service. She will be interred at the Highland Cemetery, on the windswept “hill” in the heart of farmland above Coulee City, the place she considered “home” and, in recent years, talked about returning to the small town she loved.