Rapid City – Joan E. Paris, 84, Rapid City, passed away Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at Monument Health in Rapid City.

Joan was born May 8, 1940, the third of four children born to Howard and Illine Lafferty. She grew up in Greeley, CO, surrounded by lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  She graduated from Greeley Central High School and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Colorado State College. She taught school in Bakersfield, CA, for three years before returning to Colorado to earn her Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology in 1966.

From there, Joan got a job as a school counselor at Department of Defense Schools in Japan. In 1967, she became part of a team that provided death notifications and supported families as they transitioned back to the United States. The following year, Joan and other DoD employees supplemented the flight nurse program on the medical evacuation planes going in and out of Vietnam during the Tet Offensive.

In 1968, Joan met a handsome young infantry soldier in the Yokota Officer's Club in Japan. William Paris and a friend were serving in Vietnam and were enjoying a brief respite in Japan before returning to the war. Little did William and Joan know that they were on the cusp of a relationship that would last 55 years. They married on December 28, 1968.

Joan left Japan in 1969 and got a job as a transition coordinator at Ft. Stewart, GA, where she helped soldiers find employment as they left the military. William ("Bill") later returned from his second tour in Vietnam and was assigned to Ft. Knox, KY. Here, Joan worked for a private mental health center where she assisted Vietnam veterans and former POW's and their families.

Joan continued working in mental health as the family moved to Colorado, Idaho, and back to Colorado. In Greeley, CO, Joan took over clinical services for a group of Vietnam veterans whose counselor walked out on them. She provided counseling services out of a home office at first. She led group therapy in the basement and at one point, there was a homeless veteran living in a milk truck in the driveway. Joan never shied away from a challenge or walked away from someone who needed help. Her work led to both she and Bill providing services to veterans through the Disabled American Veterans. They opened the first shelter for single male veterans in the country. After 11 years, the two of them moved to Estes Park, CO. They moved to New Mexico and worked in mental health before retiring and returning to Estes Park. They then spent several months traveling and then moved to Pennsylvania for almost a year. Bill and Joan moved to South Dakota in 2001.

Joan's survivors include her husband, Bill, of Rapid City, daughter Bernadette (Matthew) Wilgers of Piedmont, granddaughter Shelby, and sister Gail (Angus) Lorenzen of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Janice, and brother, Thomas.

Joan's celebration of life will be at 10:30 a.m. July 11 at Westminster Church, 1012 Sioux San Dr., Rapid City.  with a reception to follow. Burial will be at 1:30 p.m. on July 11 at the Black Hills National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, Joan's family asks that contributions be made to Westminster Church or to a charity of each individual's choosing. Arrangements with www.osheimschmdit.com