Joanne Elizabeth (Schrier) McCandless: Mother, grandmother, cherished friend

Joanne Elizabeth (Schrier) McCandless peacefully passed away on March 30, 2025, embraced by her children and granddaughter.

She was born in Kalamazoo, MI, in 1928, to a physician father and a piano teacher-mother. Joanne intended a career in Christian education, but her college professors encouraged her to pursue science instead. After a class in genetics, she was inspired to add biology studies to those of chemistry and earned a double major in chemistry and biology at Kalamazoo College. A research grant to Iowa State University allowed her to continue studies on the origin of parathyroids, with her Master’s thesis published in the Journal of Experimental Zoology.

It was as a church summer-camp counselor that Joanne met Ken McCandless, a pastor in Detroit and the camp’s director. Shortly after their January 1951 wedding, Ken enlisted to serve as a Navy chaplain. During his deployments, Joanne remained in Kalamazoo. When his service ended, the family settled in Chicago, where Joanne worked part-time in the University of Chicago Biology Department. In 1960, the McCandless family moved to Claremont, CA, as Ken became pastor at the new Claremont Presbyterian Church.

When the children left home, Ken and Joanne moved to a mountainside home in Claraboya. Always on the lookout for wild animals in the canyons, snakes on the patio, and birds in the trees, Joanne took daily walks in Johnson’s Pasture. This hillside was her magic place for 30 years. Joanne moved into the Mt. San Antonio Gardens after the death of her husband.

A lifelong learner, Joanne earned an M.S. in Embryology and an M.A. in Library Science. One of the happiest times of her life was while holding the position of Supervisor of Circulation at Sprague Library, Harvey Mudd College. She could also be found in the audience of any lecture or reading academic articles with a notepad by her side. This drive for learning is a legacy embraced by her remaining family. Her Christian faith was a guiding force throughout her life, as well, exemplified by this quote kept close. “There are two curiosities in life. Science proves things hard to believe. Religion believes things hard to prove.”

Joanne was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Rev. Kenneth McCandless, in 2011, and a sister, Emily Bettes. She is survived by a sister, Sally Duncan; her three children, Martha (Marty) Ann Manter, Thomas William McCandless, and Timothy Paul McCandless; her grandchildren, Darci Rebecca Renner, Evan Charles McCandless, and Kelly Joanne McCandless; and her great-granddaughters, Mackenzie Rose Renner and Joanne Melissa Clapp. The family is very grateful for the love, support, and companionship Dale Smith provided to our mother/grandmother over the last several years.

A memorial service will be held at Claremont Presbyterian Church at 1:00 p.m. on Joanne’s birthday, Saturday, May 3; a reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations to the church are appreciated.