Joan Elizabeth Gundlach, 70, resident of Coeur d’Alene, passed away unexpectedly on April 23, 2013, in Post Falls. She was born Jan. 11, 1943, in Oakland, Calif., to George Bauslaugh and Betty (Topham) Bauslaugh.

She was raised and educated, along with her two younger brothers, George and Bob, in Orinda, Calif., through the 10th grade, when the family moved to Coronado, Calif. She graduated from Coronado High School in 1960. She attended the University of California at Berkeley for one year and then the University of California at Davis, where she graduated in 1966 with a B.A. degree in art.

While in college at Davis she met Robert Malloy, and they were married in 1963, and their son Beck was born in 1964. After Robert graduated from veterinary school at UCDavis in 1966, they moved to the Carmel, Calif., area where Robert set up his veterinary practice. Their daughter Lisa was born in 1967.

They had a beautiful place in the country where they built a large-animal hospital. Joan enjoyed raising her children, as well as having animals and a horse. She loved riding her horse and growing a garden. She started nursing school in 1975 at Hartnell College in Salinas, Calif., and graduated with an A.A. degree in nursing in 1977. Her marriage to Robert ended in 1976.

In 1977, she moved with her children to Coeur d’Alene and worked as a nurse at West Shoshone Hospital in Kellogg until 1979. She then worked at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene until 1984. She loved nursing and caring for patients, and was much loved by everyone. In raising Beck and Lisa during this time, she was assisted for several years by Jack Eckert with whom she lived and was married to briefly.

In June 1983, she met Bill Gundlach, and their first date was canoeing on Lake Coeur d’Alene. They were married on Nov. 28, 1983, in Sandpoint. Bill found work as a civil engineer in Yuma, Ariz., and Joan soon followed, while Lisa went to France as a foreign exchange student. Joan was a nurse at Yuma Regional Medical Center from 1984 to 1986, the last year in the mental health unit. They left Yuma in 1986 and moved back to Coeur d’Alene, where Joan worked as a psychiatric nurse in the adolescent treatment unit at Pinecrest Hospital for two years. In late 1988 she returned to Kootenai Medical Center to work as a nurse until retirement in 2000, with additional part-time work until 2003 when she fully retired.

During her marriage to Bill she enjoyed lots of traveling, including trips to Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, New Zealand, Honduras, Tahiti and Hawaii with Bill; to France with Lisa; and to China with her mother. She enjoyed speaking Spanish in countries with that language. She liked hiking, backpacking, skiing (both kinds) and snorkeling in tropical waters, but she especially loved river trips by raft and canoe with Bill, family and friends. The river trips she enjoyed the most were the many multi-week canoe trips she did with only Bill in Arctic Canada and Alaska where they could immerse themselves in wilderness and its wildlife. She belonged to book clubs, garden clubs, mineral clubs and other organizations, and loved to make beaded jewelry. She was especially fond of art in nature and looking for fossils. Her garden was special to her.

Joan was preceded in death by her father in 1982; her mother in 2004; her brother George’s wife, Susan, in 2012; as well as three aunts, two uncles and one cousin. She is survived by her husband, Bill, in Coeur d’Alene; her son, Beck Malloy and wife Shannon in Bovill; her daughter, Lisa Malloy and grandson Caleb in Redding, Calif.; her brother, George Bauslaugh in San Antonio, Texas; her brother, Bob Bauslaugh and wife Anne in Brevard, N.C.; her stepson, Eric Gundlach and wife Shawna and granddaughters, Samantha, Brianne and Amber in Post Falls; as well as three cousins, three nephews and three nieces.

English Funeral Chapel in Coeur d’Alene is in charge of the cremation. A memorial celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 1, 2013, at the Kroc Community Center auditorium, 1765 W. Golf Course Road, Coeur d’Alene. Please visit her Facebook page for Joan Gundlach Memorial to post any memories or photos. Memorial contributions may be made to the Tubbs Hill Foundation, P.O. Box 3061, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816; or to a charity or foundation of your choice.