Joy Marie LaFoya, age 95, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 30, 2026, at the Help for Health Hospice Home of Riverton, Wyoming.
A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Cornerstone Community Church, with interment to follow at Mountain View Cemetery in Riverton.
Joy was born on March 1, 1930, in Weskan, Kansas, to Walter John Coates and Isabel Welsh Coates. In 1943, she moved to Pavillion, Wyoming, along with her three brothers and two sisters.
Joy was married to Joe Thompson; they had two children before divorcing. On August 8, 1962, Joy married Fred LaFoya in Palo Alto, California. Together, they welcomed one son, and Joy also gained a daughter from Fred’s previous marriage.
Joy was a talented, self-taught artist, particularly in painting. She appreciated music and played the violin and harmonica. She also enjoyed traveling and visiting family and friends throughout the United States, and remained faithful throughout her life.
Joy is survived by her daughter, Kimberly (Jeff) Goodman; daughter-in-law, Kathy LaFoya; and her sons, Daniel Treesh and Brandon LaFoya; grandson, Trenton (Crystal May Tan) Apodaca and their children, Jarrod and Andrea Apodaca; granddaughter, Leandra Apodaca (William Bateman) and their sons, Max and Gus; brother, Daniel Coates of Scottsdale, Arizona; and sister, Norma Eaton of Riverton.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred LaFoya; parents, Walter and Isabel Coates; children, Jeffrey Thompson, Jody Apodaca, and David Jeff LaFoya; sister, Inez Siek; and brothers, George Coates and Robert Coates.
Memorials in Joy’s honor may be made to Help for Health Hospice Home and will be appreciated by the family in care of Davis Funeral Home, 2203 W. Main Street, Riverton, WY 82501.
On-line condolences may be made at TheDavisFuneralHome.com
Services are under the direction of Davis Funeral Home, Crematory, and Monuments of Riverton, Wyoming.