May 28, 1936 – March 19, 2026
Joyce Daphne Klang died on March 19, 2026 at the age of 89 with her family at her side. A long-time resident of Los Altos, Joyce lived the past 12 years in Menlo Park with her devoted partner, James Candler, whom she re-connected with at their 60th high school reunion. Born Joyce Loew in Altadena, CA, she was the daughter of Don and Audrey Loew. She attended Aptos Middle School and Lincoln High School in San Francisco where she was proudly the Editor of the Lincoln Log her Senior year.
Joyce graduated from San Francisco State University where she earned a BA and MA and met her husband, Robert Klang. For almost three decades, she was a legal secretary and bookkeeper for Nelson Perlov and Lee in Los Altos.
Involved in many clubs and organizations, Joyce will be missed by her friends in her book clubs, poker group, and breakfast group. Joyce had many talents and was an expert calligrapher, cook, and gardener. She generously shared her passions with her family and friends, and especially loved creating imaginative birthday cakes, memorialized in a small print book, A Piece of Cake.
Joyce was an adventurous traveler, taking two months-long sabbatical leaves with Robert Klang and camping their way across Europe in a Volkswagen van. Her favorite city was Paris, where she returned to frequently. She enjoyed games of all sorts, Wordle, crossword puzzles, playing Blackjack in Tahoe, and rooting for the SF Giants. Joyce was an avid theatregoer at TheatreWorks and ACT, and for many years attended the full seasons of the San Francisco Ballet. She enjoyed volunteering with English in Action and at the Los Altos Library.
Joyce was beloved by all who knew her. She is survived by her partner Jim Candler, daughter Tracy Graubart and son-in-law Daniel Graubart of Chico, four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Her son, Nick Klang, predeceased her last year. She was “Auntie Joyce” to Janet Stone Herman (Neal) and Elizabeth Stone, and their children and grandchildren, and their brother David Stone.
To honor Joyce, the family suggests memorial donations to the Friends of the Library of Los Altos and Community, PO Box 212, Los Altos, CA 94023-0212 or KQED Membership dept., 2601 Mariposa St. San Francisco, CA 94110.
