Joan Bertha Marshall was born on September 12, 1939 in Proctor, Colorado. Her parents were Henry Lawrence Christensen and Meta Elizabeth Japp. She passed away on May 20, 2024 in Aurora, Colorado at the age of 84. Henry was a ranch foreman, so the family moved frequently living in Proctor, Kimball, Julesburg and Joes where he worked for Henry Bledsoe.
Joan graduated from Liberty High School in Joes, Colorado in 1957. She then attended Central Business School in Denver. She graduated in 1958 with a degree in secretarial, office machines and advanced bookkeeping. Following graduation, Joan began work as a secretary in the security department of Martin Company (later known as Martin Marietta). She worked there for almost three years.
Joan met Ward Marshall on a blind date and they were married on October 30, 1965 in Denver. They soon moved to Greeley where Ward worked at Farm Pipelines (later known as Gifford Hill) and Joan at the Colorado Pesticide Study. In 1968, Ward and two friends started their own company, Interstate Irrigation, and Joan & Ward moved to Yuma.
Their daughter, Shannon, was born in October, 1967 and daughter, Paige, in September, 1971.
Joan was a homemaker until the early 1980s when she started her bank teller career at World Savings. Later, she was a teller at Farmers’ State Bank and then at Bank of Colorado. She retired in December, 2004. Joan enjoyed being a teller and truly loved her customers. She always greeted them with a big smile and left them with a sincere thank you.
She also enjoyed serving as a Yuma County election judge for many years.
Joan loved to travel and she and Ward enjoyed many wonderful adventures abroad, visiting more than twelve countries. She really enjoyed getting to know their fellow travelers, always making new friends along the way.
Most important to Joan was her family. She always attended Shannon and Paige’s activities as they grew up. More recently, she enjoyed visiting and attending her grandchildren’s activities and was very proud of them. A family trip to Hawaii in 2019 was great fun and very special to her.
She was also very close to her extended family and many wonderful friends.
Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Henry Christensen and Meta Christensen, brother Henry Christensen, Jr., sister Ilene Cardwell and daughter Nancy Jo Marshall. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Ward Marshall; daughter Shannon (Marshall) Neary and Marty; daughter Paige (Marshall) Hilton; and grandchildren, Carson Neary, Abigal Hilton and Zebulon Hilton.
Funeral Service – May 28, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Yuma, Colorado with Pastor Dennis FitzPatrick officiating. Interment followed at the Yuma Cemetery. Baucke Funeral Home directed the service.