Joan Hughes
February 15, 1933 - March 23, 2026
Joan E. Mendenhall Hughes, age 93, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on March 23, 2026, in Lodi, California. She was born on February 15, 1933, in St. Louis, Oklahoma, to Gale Wesley Mendenhall and Edna Esther Link Mendenhall.
Joan spent her early years in Wewoka, Oklahoma, where she attended elementary school and the first three years of high school. In 1950, she moved to Lodi, California, at the invitation of her aunt and uncle to complete her senior year at Lodi Academy. Through determination and hard work, she supported herself by providing housekeeping and preparing meals for a local physician’s family, graduating in May 1951.
In the fall of 1951, Joan continued her education at Southwestern Junior College in Keene, Texas, where she studied secretarial science. It was there that she met Leroy Hughes. They were married in June 1952 and shared 62 devoted years together.
Joan was deeply devoted to her family and took great pride in creating a warm and loving home. She was creative and resourceful, contributing to her household through a variety of entrepreneurial pursuits. Over the years, she operated a home doughnut bakery, sewed church pew cushions for congregations across the United States, and designed decorative crafts that she sold in markets throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
In 2012, Joan and Leroy moved to Lodi, California, to be closer to family. Leroy preceded her in death in 2015.
Joan was also preceded in death by her three younger siblings and her youngest daughter, Jeanine Griffith.
She is lovingly remembered by her daughters: Debbie Clausen of Yucaipa, California; Judy Hanson of Woodbridge, California; and Susan Gilbert of Idaho; her grandchildren: Walter Hubbard, Laura Hubbard, Karen Clausen-Brown, Desiree Gilbert, and Michael Gilbert; her great-grandchildren, Ava and Naomi Hubbard, along with many extended family members and dear friends who will cherish her memory.
Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Hughes family.
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