Joan Patricia Hill

She was born on the Epiphany, January 6, 1934, in Omaha, Nebraska. Joan was the second eldest of nine siblings born to John and Edith Davis. As a child, she was somewhat of a tomboy, and she helped care for her younger siblings.

She had a Catholic education all the way through high school at Cathedral High, where she was May Queen, and nursing school at Creighton University, where she graduated in 1955. She worked as a registered nurse in Denver and in Omaha before marrying Gerald Hill in 1962.

Joan and Gerald raised two sons, Michael and Thomas, and the family moved from Omaha to Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1967, to Kansas City, Missouri in 1972, and finally to Denver in 1973. Joan returned to nursing in the late 1970’s and eventually retired from Craig Rehabilitation Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.

She renewed her passion for making art during the 1970’s and was an accomplished artist and printmaker. She was a member of the Depot Art Gallery in Littleton for many years and showed her art there and in several shows in the south metropolitan area of Denver. She leaves behind a treasure trove of artworks that she will be remembered by.

During the 1990’s, she joined a ladies harmonica band and would treat friends and family to a harmonica version of ‘Happy Birthday’ on their special day.

She was an avid walker and could often be found on the Highline Canal trail that runs behind the house where she and Gerald lived for 47 years. Even after she began to need a walker for ambulation, she would take daily strolls around the neighborhood, stopping to greet friends along the way.

After a bad fall at home in 2022, Joan’s health began to decline and she was mostly confined to home. She had wonderful caregivers from then until her death thanks to Noor Home Care.

The family would also like to thank the home hospice providers from Denver Hospice for their care and support for Joan during her final days.

Joan was preceded in death by seven of her siblings: Margaret, Patrick, George, Michael, Mary, Cecilia, and Anne. She is survived by her brother, Francis, and by her husband and sons.

A mass of christian burial memorial for Joan will be held Friday, August 29, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at All Souls Catholic Church, 4950 S. Logan St., Englewood, CO 80113. Following the mass of christian burial memorial will be a celebration of life reception from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM at Olinger Chapel Hill Funeral Home 6601, 6601 S. Colorado Blvd.,, Centennial, CO 80121.