Norma "Joan" Bishop entered this world on July 25, 1933, as the youngest daughter of fourteen children. Joan departed on October 24, 2011, after a losing battle with cancer. She was the daughter of Carl and Anna Hetrick. While she was growing up, times were tough but you would have never known that by the stories that she told. It was life and there was always laughter in it.

Joan was born at the Rowe farm and later moved to the old Sam Deen place with her parents where she cared for her father in his failing health. Joan lived most of her life in Walsh and graduated from Walsh High School in 1951. Then, she married Leon Howard. To that union came their children Sharon Gayleene, Terry Leon, and Beverly Ann. She later married Edmund "Short" Bishop in 1965. He brought to their marriage four children; Dean, Dee, Zoretta, and Orlan Bishop and grandchildren.

Joan worked for eighteen years at the Walsh Hospital as an aide and learned that she loved caring for others. This job came naturally to her as she was the caregiver for most of her family members. She nursed her parents, brothers, and sisters to their last breath and got her children, grandchildren, and a lot of friends through illnesses with her home remedies. She always said, "I should get that shingle hung." One of her favorite ways to comfort family and friends was to cook. She never used a recipe or measurement as it was better with a pinch of this and a handful of that. When you asked for a recipe, she would say, "Come on over. I can show you, but I can't tell you." She taught many how to make homemade noodles, pies, bread, cinnamon rolls and so on but they never quite came out like she did it. You never left her company in need of a bite to eat.

Joan's greatest enjoyment came from spending time with her family and friends. Games of all kinds were brought out to play when she was around. There was marbles on the Wahoo board, Nertz, Pitch, Pinochle, Sequence, puzzles and many other games. There was no way you could walk away from a Spoons game without a scratch from her. She was always accused of cheating but just giggled and said she was just that good. She also loved gambling and hiding how much she lost, she was always a "winner". She bowled for many years and went to many state bowling trips where she was usually the highlight of the trips.

Joan was always looking for ways to spend time with her family and finally planned a trip to Stonewall, Colorado. It started in 1991 with the immediate family and she had such a good time that she extended the invitation the following year to her brothers and sisters and their families. This reunion grew to great proportions with relatives from all over the United States coming to take in the festivities. As more and more attended, the family had to find new places to accommodate everyone, ranging from 30 to 72 in attendance. Her final 11 years of the reunion were spent in Red River, New Mexico.

Joan could be brutally honest but brought humor and joy to every aspect of life. For her family, a piece of the world stopped turning on October 24, 2011. She is preceded in death by her husband Edmund "Short" Bishop, her parents, five sisters, and four brothers. She is survived by her sister Elva Burhenn, brothers Wayne Hetrick, Kent (Marilyn) Hetrick, and Leroy (Linda) Hetrick, children Sharon (Ralph) Tate, Terry (Shalah) Howard, Beverly (Larry) Frazee, stepchildren, Dean (Linda) Bishop, Dee Bishop, Zoretta (Jack) Stafford, and Orlan Bishop and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.