Joan Marie Eslick

Joan Marie Eslick departed on September 11th, 2024, after a two year-long battle with multiple cancers. Funeral services will be Friday, September 20, 2024 at 1 pm at Waco Memorial Funeral Home with interment to follow at Waco Memorial Park. Visitation will be Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 6pm to 8pm at the funeral home.

Joan was born June 26th, 1955, at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Her father, Jesse Ronald Pafford Sr., served 22 years in the Air Force, and her mother, Joan (Boots), worked at Owens-Illinois (O-I) for 25 years. Joan was the second oldest of four children: Jesse Ronald Pafford Jr. (Big Brother), Melinda Jane Pafford, and Robert Carl Pafford (Cole Pepper).

At a young age, Joan took the initiative to assume the responsibilities of her mother whenever she began working. She would cook for the family and always made sure they were well taken care of. This responsibility and devotion to others manifested throughout the course of her entire life. She and her siblings made many great memories, whether it was yearly trips to the Waco Zoo, or even teaching her youngest brother to ride a bike. Joan was also praised for her musical abilities; she was a great dancer and would often be caught singing I Am Woman by Helen Reddy identically to the artist. She and her sister would often stay up late at night playing records and imagining they were performing concerts. In her teenage years, Joan made lifelong friendships with Donna McCrary and Lillie McKinney. The three of them made so many memories together, whether it was spending the night at each other’s houses, going on trips, etc. Family isn’t always blood, and their friendships were testaments to that philosophy.

Joan met her husband James Eslick in Spring Lake, NC, in March of 1975. James was in town visiting his aunt, and Joan lived down the street from her. Joan reached out to James during his stay because they were having plumbing issues, and he was able to resolve it. This was before we lived in a time filled with dating apps, and the moment of meeting your soulmate was based purely on spontaneity. James proposed to Joan whilst he was stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. James and Joan got married on December 19th, 1977, in Waco, TX. Shortly after, Joan relocated to Germany. Joan quickly made friends with the other military spouses as she was such an outgoing and giving person.

Joan gave birth to three children: James Jr., Crystal, and Mark. She loved her kids more than anything. She would often sneak her kids some extra money and presents behind her husband’s back just because she could. Once James retired from the Army, the family officially settled down in Eddy, TX.

She was a certified nursing assistant for 25 years at Hillcrest (present day Baylor Scott and White) in home health and caring for newborn mothers. When she worked, she would always contribute to potlucks by bringing the main dish. She was so motherly and made sure everyone in the unit was well fed. There was a running joke that she was considered the mother hen of the nursing unit. She also did a lot of volunteering, such as being a candy striper for Providence as well as volunteer work for R.E.A.C.T. to support highway safety.

During the holidays, Joan would often create cookie trays to hand out to family, friends, and even strangers. Even during her last Christmas, she spent whilst battling cancer, she still kept this tradition regardless of her pain. She always did her best to make others feel welcome and special.

In the end, her fight with cancer wasn't about her ego or a fear of death. Her selflessness carried on until the end, and her fight with cancer was for her family; her husband, kids, grandchildren, siblings, friends, and anyone else she had a bond with. She fought for us her entire life and always put other people's needs above her own, and she never once stopped. The parallels between Joan and her mother were astonishing. People said they were two of a kind, and it’s devastating to the family and loved ones that they both passed away from a tumultuous battle with cancer. Joan will greatly be missed, and she is remembered by her loved ones: her husband James, son James Jr., daughter Crystal and her husband Brandon, son Mark and his husband Michael, grandchildren Elizabeth and Logan, siblings Jesse Pafford Jr., Melinda Smith, and Robert Pafford, and close family friends Donna McCrary, Karl Zeigler, and many more. 

The family would like to thank Ascension Hospice of Waco, TX, for their wonderful care and support. A special thanks to Mary Rose, RN, for her compassion and care, as well as Jessica, in Hospice Management.