Obituary of Joleen Treaster Matych

Joleen Treaster Matych was born on July 28th, 1934 in Blackwell, Oklahoma to Verna and Lowell Treaster and entered heaven to join her husband, on August 28th, 2020, in Santa Cruz, California. Joleen spent most of her childhood in East Lansing Michigan with her parents and younger brother Byron. In high school, her nickname was Jody, and she was a beautiful and extremely popular girl. She enjoyed being in plays and had aspirations of becoming an actress. Many of her high school friends, especially Carol Forrer-Sorber, remained her life-long companions. Joleen met the love of her life, Jim Matych, during a camping trip to Muskegon, when she was about 14. Years later they ran into each other at a Michigan State Spartans Football game while they were both in high school and started dating soon after. As was common in those days her parents did not approve of the relationship because he was Catholic, and she was Protestant. True to her rebellious nature, she ran away with Jim after high school and got married anyway. Joleen’s parents eventually came around and accepted Jim into the family and grew to love him like a son. Joleen and Jim had three children, a son and two daughters, within the first seven years of their marriage. During these years, they lived in East Lansing, Michigan, Oreland, Pennsylvania, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a family activity, they enjoyed fishing and hunting and many camping trips to Sugar Island, Michigan. In 1965 they moved to Yorba Linda, California and had their last child, a daughter, in 1967. Joleen and Jim were both involved with the city’s planning and politics and loved the California sunshine. The children were active in 4-H Club and Joleen helped them with projects and raising animals. Joleen was a member of the Yorba Linda Women’s League and worked part time as a reporter and photographer for the Yorba Linda Star. She also helped her husband run a Driving Range business called Aqua Tee for a time. She was incredibly talented and creative; she enjoyed playing the piano, reading, writing, painting and for a time making Bird Marionettes for extra Christmas money. Some of the happiest times of her life were when she had her own career as a printing salesperson. She worked her way up from a bindery worker to an outside sales representative in a short time and was there for nearly 20 years until her retirement. She met many wonderful people there and developed friendships that would last a lifetime especially with her friend Marie Jackson. In the late 1980s she decided to go back to college and get her AA degree. There she started writing a novel about the old west tilted “Proud Eyes” but never had a chance to write the ending. Her daughter Kim is hoping to finish it for her. In 1996 Jim and Joleen retired to Arizona. They lived on beautiful Roosevelt Lake in a mobile home they called their “Wickiup” for a time before eventually moving to Payson in the Tonto National Forest and a home in Sun City West, near Phoenix. They spent many years living in both homes, spending the winters in Sun City West and the summers in Payson. During this time Joleen was a member of the Red Hat Society and made many friends in both towns especially her close friend Teri Palmer in Payson. They enjoyed their retirement going to yard sales, playing bridge or poker with friends, golfing, and breeding Yorkshire Terriers. They loved their two Yorkies, Zip and Penny, like their own children. After Jim passed away in 2013 Joleen spent some time in Payson before moving permanently to Sun City West. After being diagnosed with dementia in 2017, her family moved her to Santa Cruz, California so that her youngest daughter, Kim, could help care for her. All her children and four of her grandchildren along with their spouses held vigil by her side in the last few days of her life. She passed away peacefully in her room surrounded by all the things she loved. Joleen will always be remembered by her children as a loving mother, trusted friend, wonderful cook and the pillar of the family. We will miss her dearly. Joleen is survived by her Brother, Byron Treaster, and her four children; Steve Matych (Teresa), Cindaleen Cummings (Michael), Aleshia (Lee) Sacks (Gary), and Kim Franca (Claudio). She is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Verna and Lowell, her husband Jim, and two grandchildren: Timothy Binswanger and Tyler Sacks. A family Celebration of Life will be held on October 28, 2020.