Joan Northrup, 83, of Mitchell, died Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, at Firesteel Health Care Community.
Visitation with a 7 p.m. prayer service was Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Will Funeral Chapel in Mitchell. Funeral services were Friday, Feb. 10, at the Letcher Community Church in Letcher with Rev. Garry Swagger officiating. Burial was in Butler Cemetery, rural Letcher.
Joan was born July 28, 1933, at home in Hanson County to Charles and Florence (Aalseth) Black. She attended country grade school and graduated from Armour High School. She attended Northern State College, where she obtained a teaching certificate and taught school for several years. Joan worked various jobs in Mitchell.
Joan married Marvin Joseph Northrup on Feb. 2, 1958, in Armour. The couple lived on the family farm near Letcher, where she assisted with the farm duties, and they raised their four children. In 2003, they moved from the farm to Mitchell. Joan attended Dakota Wesleyan University to further her education.
As a result of a car accident, Joan took up swimming for physical therapy to assist in her recovery and daily living activities. She enjoyed reading, with a special interest in poetry, needlepoint and a good cup of coffee.
She is survived by her husband, Marvin Northrup of Mitchell; her children, Krystal Northrup of Mitchell, Bradley (Jennifer) Northrup of Junction City, Kan., and Jewel (Bobby) Kopfmann of Virgil; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two sisters, Ella Mae (Robert) Wood of Denver, Colo., and Iona (James) Langer of Loveland, Colo.; and sister-in-law, Clarine Black of Winner.
Joan was preceded in death by a son, Joseph Northrup; her parents; a brother, Kenneth; a sister, Eunice; and her husband, Orvis.