Joan K. Vanden Heuvel

Madison - Joan (Sandman) Vanden Heuvel, 80, passed away peacefully and with family present after a long illness on Wednesday, September 15, at St. Mary's Care Center in Madison. Her greatest joy was that she was able to visit with all her children in her final weeks.

Joan was the eldest of three children born to Roderick and Maxine (Healy) Sandman of Hillsboro, Wisconsin. Her two brothers, Robert and William, preceded her in death, as did her parents. Joan arrived December 9, 1929, and as the only daughter began to cultivate the robust wit and acute skills of observation that would later serve as the magnet that drew toward her a remarkable circle of loving friends, as the font of the humor required to raise a large family, and as the source of the funny, poignant and evocative stories she would produce throughout her life.

She graduated from Hillsboro High in 1947 and then departed her beloved hometown for two years at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she studied photography. She left to attend UW-Madison, where she discovered a love of literature that she maintained for more than sixty years. She also met Norbert Vanden Heuvel, an Air Force officer from Kimberly, WI, whom she married on August 20, 1950 in Hillsboro. Despite an auto accident that delayed their honeymoon, Joan and Norb would go on to spend many happy years together and to produce eight children. They lived briefly in Milwaukee and then Stevens Point, where Kathleen was born, and later in Hillsboro where Stephen arrived, before settling permanently in Madison. They were divorced in 1981 but remained friends until the end, and Norb could be counted on to show up Christmas Eve for the family gathering to sing harmony with Joan as she accompanied on her ever-present piano.

Joan lived a full, encompassing life that centered on her family but radiated outward to everything she touched. She certainly was dealt a full house,' and the long-time family home on Mineral Point Road was a rambunctious and sometimes chaotic environment over which she exercised a loving authority. Joan found the way to see the uniqueness of her diverse children and to allow each the freedom to grow in her or his way. She gave every child a special part of herself, and when we see ourselves reflected in her we see her beauty as a rich tapestry. Our mom put aside what must have been overwhelming urges to take time to write, play music for her own enjoyment, and otherwise indulge her ample imagination so that she could attend to the next emergency or celebrate the next family event. She was the lodestone for a family that might have splintered into friendly strangers, and she kept us all connected through the force of her personality, the power of her memory for all things Sandman-Healy-Vanden Heuvel and (mostly) through her love.

After her children had grown and following her divorce, Joan worked for a number of years with Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and then for the law firm of Fowler and Wiederhoeft. In both cases, she made lifelong friends who continued to support her well after she retired. With time to pursue new avenues, Joan turned herself into a passable player, and tireless promoter, of ragtime and Scott Joplin. She became a voracious reader of all things historical and biographical, wearing out the staff at the Sequoya Library with requests for the latest David McCullough or Shelby Foote volume. Her reading was an extension of her connection to family, and when a son, daughter or grandchild would mention a new interest, Joan was on the computer looking for something to read hat might enliven a future conversation. Throughout her life, Joan committed her observations to short, beautiful stories and eventually enrolled for several years in a Reminiscence Writing course. In addition to expanding her circle of friends there, Joan honed her skills and developed her writing voice with great verve, presenting her work (in her signature sultry baritone) at readings around Madison. Her work culminated in the publication of one of her stories, selected from more than 4000 submissions, in Paul Auster's short story collection for NPR's ""All Things Considered,"" I Thought My Father Was God.

She enjoyed traveling to visit family, whether to hear Colorado elk bugling at her on a front step, to watch her granddogs chasing eagles across the sky in Highland, or to spend precious time with her grandchildren. Having discovered genealogy, she turned it into a passion that carried her backward to her family history and roots and forward to a legacy that she shared with everyone. She also enjoyed discussing her research (as well as her responses to books, movies, history and politics) with her ""McFriends"" and with her many dear acquaintances from her Hillsboro days, her years at Queen of Peace, and her neighbors. Collectively they were her guardian angels and she compensated them with her wit, a sarcastic sense of humor that was wry but never mean-spirited, and with an affection that grew inexorably into love.

Joan was full of life and laughter, yet she favored overcast days over bright sunshine. Even in her last weeks, visitors and staff marveled at the beauty of her skin, the result of her healthy sense of humor and her dislike of too much outdoor activity. Mom taught herself and others to appreciate the clouds over, but also in, one's life. She faced her share of darkness in her time, but through the strength of her own character and the loving assistance of family and friends drawn by her warmth and intelligence, she endured and prevailed, humor intact and skepticism still robust.

Joan is survived by her former husband, Norbert (Madison), and all her children: Kathleen Vanden Heuvel (Berkeley, CA); Stephen Vanden Heuvel (Madison); Mary Blend (Paul, Beaver Creek OH); Michael Vanden Heuvel (Tracy, Highland, WI) John Vanden Heuvel (Bridget, Madison); Robert Vanden Heuvel (Missoula, MT); Jane Richards (Mick, Estes Park, CO); and Daniel Vanden Heuvel (Cindy, Columbus, OH). To her great joy, she also witnessed the growth of her grandchildren and followed every development in their lives. She passes on her love and legacy to Jessica (Stephen); Elizabeth and Rebekkah (Blend); Nicholas (John and Bridget); Joseph and Benjamin (Daniel and Cindy). She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff at Meriter Hospital, and especially Dr. Bernard Micke, for the compassionate care Joan received, as well as the entire staff at St. Mary's Care Center and Hospice, Inc., for their kindness and sympathy.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, September 20, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 401 S. Owen Drive, Madison. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Hospice, Inc. of Madison or that individuals consider organ donation in memory of Joan.