Joel Jenner Pynch, 83, of Shedd, Oregon passed away peacefully on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

Joel was born August 14, 1934 in San Bernardino, California, the fifth of eight children to Wendell C. and Elizabeth M. (Shay) Pynch. He attended Latham Elementary and Cottage Grove High School. During high school, Joel was student body president, a member of the National Honor Society, and was active in a variety of sports.

After high school, Joel enlisted in the US Army as a Dog Training Instructor stationed in Germany from 1953 to1956. Joel went on to attend Oregon State University receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Education.

On May 25, 1954, Joel married his high school sweetheart, Yvonne Ware, in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Joel was a devout Catholic, and he and Yvonne were members of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church for over 30 years. The couple lived in Germany during Joel’s Army tenure, then returned to Oregon, living in the central Willamette Valley. They resided on their Halsey-Brownsville area farm/ranch for over 40 years. Together, they raised five daughters, as well as several foster children, on the farm Joel truly loved. He stated that his “family was the best crop he ever raised.” Yvonne passed away in 2003.

Joel married Kay Doering on June 13, 2004 after their 50th class reunion from Cottage Grove High School. They became very active in the Holy Trinity Catholic Church Choir in Brownsville where they particularly enjoyed singing on the music team. They continued a tradition established when they sang together in an ensemble while friends in high school. Kay cared for Joel after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. They moved from the ranch to a safer residence in Shedd.

Joel’s work experience and outside endeavors were vast. He was a vocational agriculture teacher at St. Paul High School (St. Paul, Oregon), and then at Central Linn High School (Halsey, Oregon) where he taught for 30 years. During this time, he also worked as a part-time instructor at Linn-Benton Community College and Lane Community College, and was part of the OSU Oregon Alliance Division of Continuing Education as an evaluator. Joel was passionate about teaching. His motto was “never close the door on a youngster.” During his teaching tenure, Joel was active on numerous vocational education boards. Joel was never one to stay idle; after retirement from Central Linn High School, he went on to be a full-time farmer/rancher and start a construction company. He was in a partnership to develop a company that produced wool insulation for home construction. Joel was also active in multiple farm and ranch organizations throughout the years.

Joel is survived by his wife, Kay, of Shedd; daughters Frieda (Rod) Drummond of Lebanon, Susan (Rick) Benson and Linda (Tracy) Hite of Brownsville, Juli (Richard) Jones of Newberg,and Jennifer (Steve) Eckhart of Corvallis; step-son Greg (Karla) Doering of Tualatin; step-daughter KK (Gary) Zimmerli of Portland; grandchildren Anthony (Kristal), Michelle (Drew), Aaron (Claire), Melissa (Cameron), Ryan (Callie), Justin (Kate), Kaitlyn, Austin (Cierra), Brandon (Carissa), Angelica, Lexi, and Andy; step-grandchildren Erin, Shelby, Miranda, and Barclay; great-grandchildren Tucker, Payton, Jaxen, Maggie Lou, Norman, Calder, and Charleigh; brother Jim Pynch of Roseburg; and sister Barbara Billick of Cottage Grove.

Recitation of The Rosary will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 14, at St. Helen Catholic Church in Sweet Home. A memorial Mass will follow at 11:00 a.m. Inurnment will take place at Union Point Cemetery on Ranch Drive in Brownsville.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the Central Linn High School FFA Chapter or Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House.

Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements.