Joan H. Norquist

Longtime Sioux Falls realtor Joan H. (nee DeBoer) Norquist passed away Saturday, October 12, 2024, at Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls. Joan was 90 years old.

Joan Hilda DeBoer was born October 2, 1934, at her grandparents’ home in Pollock, SD. She was the first child of Harold T. and Myrtle M. DeBoer. The family moved frequently during her early years, living in several small towns in North Dakota before settling in McIntosh, MN, in 1947.

Joan was a polio survivor. She contracted the disease as a young girl and spent many months away from home recovering. Upon returning home, her father was very diligent in taking her to swimming pools (very rare in ND back then) to successfully complete her therapy. From that experience, Joan developed a lifetime love of swimming.

Joan graduated from McIntosh High School in 1952. While in high school, she picked potatoes to earn spending money. At one point, she was crowned “The Fastest Potato Picking Queen in Polk County, Minnesota.” Joan attended Macalester College for two years before transferring to the University of MN, St. Paul. She received her BS degree in Dec. 1956. Joan began her teaching career in Gonvick, MN, where she met her future husband, Richard F. Norquist. They were married on April 11, 1959, in Crookston, MN, and both taught in Oklee, MN, for 7 years. With the addition of two fine sons, the family moved to Missoula, MT, in 1967, where Richard pursued his master’s degree in theatre. During this time, Joan taught home economics at Hellgate High School in Missoula. 

Richard graduated in 1969, and the couple moved to Aberdeen, SD. Richard taught theatre at Northern State College, and Joan taught home economics at Simmons Jr High. She became interested in real estate and pursued a career during the summers. She also worked on her MS degree in education, which she received in July 1975 from SDSU Brookings.

In 1976, Joan decided to become a full-time realtor. She worked for several companies in Aberdeen before relocating to Sioux Falls in 1989, where there was more opportunity. She began with Dunham Realtors, then moved on to Coldwell Banker GKR, The Real Estate Company, and Hegg Realtors. She was a very hard worker, earning many awards and accolades. Following her husband Richard’s retirement from teaching, he became her business partner, and they worked together successfully until Richard died in 2003. Joan continued with her real estate career well into her 80s.

Joan was a member of RASE of Sioux Falls, Downtown Lions’ Club, Sioux Empire Home Economists, and P.E.O. Chapter BS Sioux Falls. She took international trips, one to China and one to Africa, and presented about her journeys to many Sioux Falls groups. She retired from real estate in 2015 and was a greeter at Walmart for several years before finally leaving the workforce. 

Joan was incredibly proud of her Dutch heritage. She was also Swedish and was widely known for her Swedish tea rings, which she made from scratch and distributed to a large group of acquaintances every Christmas season. She loved to read and spent her final years engrossed in many enjoyable stories. She endured physical hardships but lived life to its fullest, rarely complaining and always looking at the bright side. She was a faithful member of the First Congregational Church in Sioux Falls. 

Joan is survived by two sons, several grandchildren, one great-grandchild, two sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and a brother, Alvin.