Joan Ann (Barovetto) Black

Joan Ann Black
April 22, 1942 - March 28, 2024

Sierra Vista - Joan Ann (Barovetto) Black, 81 of Sierra Vista passed into eternal life Thursday morning, March 28, 2024, at Banner University Medical Center, Tucson.
Joan a daughter of the late Silvio L. and Madelyn A. (Doran) Barovetto was born in Davis, California on April 22, 1942. She was raised in Davis, California and graduated from Davis High School. She continued her education and received bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Dominican College, San Rafael, CA.

After graduation, Joan taught primary school in the San Francisco Bay area for two years.   Because she was interested in traveling and learning about other cultures, she was accepted into the Department of Defense Education System and assigned to teach at an Army instillation in Frankfurt, Germany.  While in Frankfurt, Joan used the opportunity to travel the world to include Europe, Middle East, Asia and Egypt. 

Joan met John, a young Army Second Lieutenant, at the Officer’s Club in Frankfurt when she “asked him for a light.”  To both of their embarrassment, he didn’t have one.  Later in the evening, Joan provided John with a book of matches, for the next time a lady might need a light.   They were married in Basel, Switzerland on 17 June 1969 and at Saint Stevens Catholic Church in Frankfurt on 29 June 1969 continuing a beautiful 55 year-long romance.

The day of their first wedding anniversary, John was deployed to Vietnam to serve a year in combat.  Joan always said, “the Army does have a sense of humor.”  Upon John’s return from Vietnam, they moved to Washington D.C. where John David (JD) was born in 1972.   Joan always referred to JD as her “gift from God.”   Shortly after the family moved to Pocatello, Idaho where John attended graduate school at Idaho State University (ISU) and taught in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program.  While there, Joan earned a master’s degree in education from ISU.  
Over the years as an army officer’s wife, Joan volunteered for the Red Cross, the Fort Huachuca Pharmacy and served on the Officer’s Wife’s Club and Thrift Shop boards on various installations.  When John was in troop leadership positions, she worked to develop Family Support Groups providing awareness and education about Army and unit programs supporting soldiers and their families. When John retired from active duty, Joan was awarded the Department of the Army’s Commander’s Award for Public Service. 

During John’s military assignments and after his retirement, Joan continued her love of teaching young children at the Huachuca City School. Joan summarized her experience, “How marvelous to receive hugs from 5-year-olds every day for ten years.”

Joan loved the many friends she had locally and across the country.  She also loved her many adopted dogs, often rescuing the older dogs who were not prime for adoption.  
Joan has resided on Fort Huachuca and in Sierra Vista for the past 36 years and was a communicant of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church.  

In addition to her parents, Joan was preceded in death by her brother Johnny Barovetto an Army Armored Cavalry Captain who was killed in action in South Vietnam. She is survived by her husband Colonel (Retired) John H. Black; a son, John D. (JD) Black, his wife Toby and two grandchildren, Cole and Casey, Burbank, CA; a brother, David Barovetto, Sun Valley, ID and a sister, Patricia Barovetto, Patzcuaro Mexico

Family and friends are asked to meet on Friday, April 12, 2024 at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church for the Recitation of the Rosary at 10:00 am followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 am. Rites of Committal and Internment will follow at the Chapel of the Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 12:00 Noon.  

A Reception will follow at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Joan’s memory be made to the Friends of the Sierra Vista Animal Shelter Inc., 2160 E. Fry Blvd, Suite C-5 PMB 284 Sierra Vista, AZ 85636 or friendsofthesvanimalshelter.org 

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