Joan Rickabaugh (Murphy) passed away on June 22nd, 2017 at her home in Franktown, Colorado with her husband (Ken), Mother-in-law (Ann Rickabaugh), and best friend by her side.  She touched the hearts of many with her infectious goofy laugh and always positive outlook, even during her 5 year battle with cancer.  The word quit was not in her vocabulary.

She was born on Sept. 23rd, 1957 in San Francisco to Navy LT Garrison and Elizabeth (Tripp) Murphy. She is preceded in death by her father, mother, and brother (Ned).  Joan grew up a navy brat in Coronado, CA. After graduating from Coronado High School in 1975 she earned a B.S. in Finance from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

During their many moves during her husband’s Coast Guard service, Joan pursued her many career interests. She started as a Branch operations Manager for Wells Fargo Bank in Los Angeles, worked in the Tax Assessors office in Lake County, Ca. and as a Real Estate Appraiser in Miami, FL.  After settling down in Corpus Christi, Texas, she finally discovered her true passion: teaching young children. After earning her teaching certification at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, she taught many years at Blanche Moore Elementary School.  She finished her career at Franktown Elementary as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher.  Joan was a long time member of Kappa Delta Pi and Alpha Delta Kappa Education Honor Societies.  She enjoyed, camping, skiing, and  fishing, with her husband and volunteered alongside him at Ducks Unlimited fundraisers.

Joan is survived by her husband of nearly 33 years, her niece (Sydney) and many close friends.  There are no services planned at this time. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the American Cancer Society.  

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