Obituary of Barbara Lee Libbey

Barbara Lee Libbey was born January 3, 1949, in Peoria, Illinois, the oldest of six children born to Betty Wilkinson.  In the early 1950s, the family moved to Alderwood Manor, Washington, to be close to her extended family.

 

Barb enjoyed being around others and making friends.  In 1970, she was selected by the Seafair Pirates as a Seafair Princess.  Her ability to interact with others served her well as a hostess, waitress, and bartender.  It was at this time, she met Dick Libbey, who was working across the street at Rainier National Bank. In three short months, they married and so began a 49-year romance/adventure of mostly love and laughter, along with a few small bumps and, most recently, a devastating loss.

 

Over the years, they lived in Hood River, Oregon; Kent, Lynnwood and Tukwila, Washington; Eugene/Springfield, Oregon; and Puyallup, Washington. In 1993, they moved to their current location, Olympia, Washington.  Barb worked as a manager of convenience stores and later worked in various positions as a member of the kitchen teams for schools in Springfield, Puyallup, and North Thurston School District, from which she retired in 2011.

 

Barb loved to travel. In retirement, she and Dick took several trips to Oahu and Maui, as well as travelling to Los Cabos (Hacienda del Mar) at every opportunity.  Maui was her favorite, especially in January or February in order to do some serious whale watching.

 

Barb had a lifelong love for cats.  Sometimes, she would have as many as four felines in the household.  Most recently, that lucky feline was Callee.  If you were to look up the word “spoiled” in the dictionary, Callee’s picture would be there.

 

Last September, Barb began to have memory problems, leading to her entering Garden Court Memory Care in early April.  While at St. Peter Hospital for a checkup, she had a stroke and was placed in their hospice care unit.  Barb passed away there April 25, 2024. 

 

At her request, there will not be a service.

 

 A heartfelt “thank you” to the staff at Home Instead who assisted Barb, the caring staff at Garden Courte Memory Care, and the nurses and doctors at both St. Peter and Kaiser Permanente for all their care and effort to ensure Barb’s last days were without pain or trauma.

 

Barb is survived by her husband, Dick; her youngest brother, Donnie, and his wife, Michelle; loving extended family and friends too numerous to mention; and of course, Callee.

 

If you are so inclined, go online and listen to Barb’s and Dick’s favorite song: “Daisy a Day” by Jud Strunk. It sort of says it all.

 

Please leave condolences or share memories and photos on the Tribute Wall to the left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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