Howard and Joan took many trips for business meetings and conventions to Las Vegas, New Orleans and Maui, Hawaii. On one of their vacation trips they went to Wisconsin to visit sister Nancy and her family, and fell in love with the Northwoods. They eventually sold their business, retired and moved to the Northwoods. They have a motor home and enjoy vacationing in Washington and Oregon, where they also visit with sister Anne.Joan states that in addition to living on a beautiful lake and fishing and ice fishing, they also snowmobile, grow orchids and bowl. She has taken up painting recently, and is painting flowers and landscapes with acrylic paints.Howard and Joan now have four grandchildren and one great grandchild, and are pleased that son Andy and his family have moved to Hayward, Wisconsin to be closer to them so she can spend more time with the grandchildren. Life is very good in the Northwoods, but Joan is grateful for her experience of growing up in the small town of Santa Paula.
Joan Wilvert Marsh, Class of 1954
December 12, 2003
Santa Paula High School
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By B. J. Harding, President, SPUHS Alumni Association
Biography #232 (Have you submitted yours?)Ted Wilvert had a local printing establishment in Santa Paula for many years. He and his wife, Grace Noyes Wilvert, had four daughters. They were Nancy, Class of 1950; Anne, Class of 1952; and a set of twins, Judy and our subject Joan, Class of 1954.At school Joan was busy in the Future Homemakers Association; the Girls League, serving as treasurer; the Tri Y; C.H.A.; and she sat on the Student Council. In her senior year she was a song leader, and participated swimming in the water ballets.Joan was especially fond of her teacher Mary Anne Herber, who taught commercial courses, and Joan also trusted Mary Anne’s hair for her. Another teacher she recalls with fondness was her P.E. teacher Bonnie Jo Bevins. Some of Joan’s gal pals at school, besides her twin sister, were Julie Revill, Jackie Lang, Jodie Spencer, Carol Sue Logsdon, Myrna Sipes and Gretchen Olmstead.After graduation Joan got a job working for Dr. John Besser, an Oxnard dentist. She began in a secretarial position, but was so efficient Dr. Besser trained her as a dental assistant. After several years she left Dr. Besser, and went to work for Dr. Jihad Werewar, a medical doctor, and was trained as his assistant. She then left him to work as the assistant to Dr. Larry Simpson, dentist, and then to the Ventura County Hospital, where she worked as the admitting clerk for nine years.It was at the County Hospital that she met Howard Marsh, who owned and operated Courtesy Ambulance Co. of Ventura. The chemistry was right, and it wasn’t long until Howard proposed and got himself a wife and lured her away from County to come work for him. Howard and Joan soon had two sons, Andy and Scott, and expanded their ambulance company to the towns of Santa Paula and Fillmore.
