Joan Jeraldine Byler, nee Lengacher of Leo-Cedarville, passed away on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at the age of 82.  She was born March 4, 1944 in Allen County, Indiana in the Schlatter farmhouse on Schlatter Road.  The farmhouse was a multi-generational home shared by members of the Schlatter, Lengacher, Delagrange, Reschley, and Holm families.  Her middle name, Jeraldine, was given to her in honor of Dr. Jaraldine Baumgartner, the doctor who delivered her.  She was the beloved wife of Henry "Hank" Byler.

Joan devoted much of her life to caring for others.  She spent 39 years as a registered nurse at Parkview Hospital in Ft. Wayne, where she served as a manager of CCU and ICU and as an educator for new staff.  Teaching was a natural extension of who Joan was.  She loved helping others learn, grow, and become confident in caring for people, and the impact she had on those she taught continued long after they left her classroom.

Her faith was at the center of her life.  At the Ekklesia in Harlan, IN, Joan became affectionately known among her friends and church community as "the prayer warrior".  She prayed for people, for families, for difficult circumstances, for safe travels, and for reasons to be grateful.  When someone didn't know what to do next, Joan often did: "Let's pray".

Joan's care for others extended well beyond prayer.  She was loving, generous, and consistently supportive of the people around her.  She loved to teach, to travel and experience new places, and, perhaps most of all, to spend time with people she loved.  She had a genuine appreciation for laughter, especially the unexpected comedy found in everyday life and the antics of children.  She also possessed a wonderfully dry wit that could appear without warning, catching those around her off guard and leaving laughing.

Joan is survived by her husband of many years, Henry "Hank" Byler; her three sons, Sheldon and his wife, Kristy (Brett) Byler, Scott and his wife, Dawn (Sheets) Byler, and Shane and his wife, Judy (Wolfe) Byler; grandchildren, Michael and his wife, Kate Byler, Jacob Byler, Corbin and his wife, Amber Byler, Faron Byler, Bonham Byler, Jovie Byler, and Lenore Byler.  She was also a proud great-grandmother to Calvin, Lydia, Nora Jane, Maven and Ezekiel Byler.  Joan is also survived by her brother, Walter and his wife, Jeanette Lengacher.  She was preceded in death by her sisters, Doris (Lengacher) Reschley Holm and Fern (Lengacher) Magner.

Joan leaves behind a family and community shaped by her care, her teaching, her laughter, and her unwavering willingness to pray for those she loved.  Her life was spent caring for people, encouraging them, teaching them, and bringing them before God in prayer.  For Joan, "Let's pray" was rarely the end of a conversation.  It was often how she began helping someone carry whatever came next.

She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

Calling will be held on Friday, September 11, 2026 from 2-4 & 6-8 pm at The Ekklesia (12616 Spencerville Road Harlan, IN  46743).  Services will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 10 am with calling one hour prior.  Pastors James Graber and Lael Barkman will officiate.  Burial in Yaggy Cemetery, Grabill, IN.