Joan Rishel
Joan was born in Flint, Michigan to Georgianna Covell Schultz and Elben F. Schultz, Sr. After graduating from Flint Central Senior High School she was employed as a secretary at General Motors Institute in Flint and then worked for several years in Washington, D.C. and New York City. From there Joan was employed by the U.S. State Department in Athens, Greece and later worked as a civilian for the U.S. Air Force in Wiesbaden, Germany; Tripoli, Libya, North Africa; and Guam M.I.; where she met and married USAF Captain William (Bill) Rishel on February 3, 1956. After Bill’s retirement from the Air Force, Joan worked as a legal secretary in San Jose, California and later in Novato, California. In 1992, they moved to Carson City, Nevada, where her loving husband of 57 years passed away on November 21, 2013. In the Fall of 2020, Joan moved in with her daughter Robbi, and spent the remainder of her life in Truckee, CA.
Joan’s parents and brother, Elben (Ben) Schultz Junior and sister-in-law Beverly predeceased her; her survivors are daughter Robbi Rishel, plus three nieces, Deb (Ron) Grignani, Lori (Kirk) Susott, Nancy (Ben) Bush, and a nephew James (Sue) Schultz and their children. Joan was a member of Shepherd of the Sierra Lutheran Church in Carson City, and a “celebration of life” service and reception will be held at the church on September 28, 2022 at 10:30 a.m., followed by a graveside service at Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City, NV. Please wear some pink in Joan’s memory, as it was her favorite color.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church at 3680 U. S. Highway 395, Carson City, NV 89706, or to Canine Companions, P. O. Box 446, Santa Rosa, CA 95402-0446.