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Obituary

Richard "Dick" Sibley Joyner, 89, died August 18th, 2022, with Dick's family by his side in Elgin, Illinois.

A memorial service with visitation will be held at St. Catherine Siena Catholic Church, East Dundee, Illinois September 17th at 10 am for visitation, and an 11:00 am funeral.


845 W Main St, West Dundee, IL 60118


Our father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend was gifted and brilliant chemical engineer. He worked on the cutting edge of plastics technology when plastics were in their infancy. He helped design the Frisbee in the early 1960s and the Superball for the Wham-O toy company. Dick is credited with 30-plus patents.


Dick Joyner was born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, on December 7th, 1932. He was a track star at what is now Oklahoma State University. He met and married the mother of his children, Imogene Melvin, who preceded Dad in death. But the love of his life was Mary Grace Joyner (Hartmann), and they were married for 47 years. They traveled, worked together, and spent many years with kids and grandkids.


Dad inspired many people through his 50-plus years in AA. He sponsored immeasurable people's lives who changed for good because of our Dad.


Dad loved many hobbies, but his favorite was with Mary at their cabin in the Upper Peninsula of MI near Land O' lakes, Wisconsin, painting, and hiking in the Smokie Mountains. There were long fishing days, sightseeing, fall colors, and supper club dinners.


We will miss our Dad for his business prowess and wise counsel. He was affable and sharp-witted, and his favorite saying after nearly everything was, "if the Lord is willing and the creek don't rise."


Dick had four children, Ric, Elise (Harrell), Robert (deceased), and Sarah Joyner. He also had six stepchildren, Norman, Nancy, Susan, James, Thomas, and John. He has six grandchildren Erin Janus, Isaiah Joyner, Kedar Sanchez, Jake, Alex Harrell, and Charlie Joyner. There are also many additional step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.


As a Catholic, Ric and Dad had many hours of talks about Christ being His Savior, and we will cherish those memories.


When asked how he was doing, Dad's favorite saying was, "bordering on the magnificent." We are grateful to have had "Mr. Magnificent," as some called Richard "Dick" Joyner, in our lives.