Barbara K. (Miller) Kirkendall

Barbara “Barb” K. Kirkendall, 86, of Pioneer passed away early Monday morning. She was born Barbara Kay Miller on Jan. 31, 1936, in Marshall, Michigan, to George E. and Minerva Catherine (Heer) Miller.

She was a 1954 graduate of North Central High School and on July 24 of that year married Lewis R. Kirkendall, the love of her life. They celebrated 64 years together, before he preceded her in death in 2018.

Barb was a member of the Pioneer United Methodist Church and active with its women’s group. She was a past regent and a collegian with the Women of the Moose, and a long-time member of its Montpelier Chapter. She also worked through the chairs of the Rebekah Lodge of the IOOF.

Barb worked for many years at the Ohio Art in Bryan, Ohio; Hillcrest Country Club in Montpelier, Ohio; and the Montpelier Auto Auction. But she considered being a mother her most important career.

She loved flowers, dancing, singing, cooking and travel and was always knitting or making crafts for family, friends and charity. She looked forward to bingo and lunch with her friends at the Pioneer Senior Center and loved working Sudoku puzzles and watching Major League Baseball and college basketball on TV.

Barb is survived by children Sherry (John) Skufca of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Kathy (Jim) Montmarquet of Amherst, New York; and Scott (Kathy) Kirkendall of Okauchee, Wisconsin. Also, five grandchildren: Jessica (Mike) Nadeau, Jocelyn (Nash) Verano and Scott, Sam and Cole Kirkendall; two great-grandchildren, Wyleigh and Calder Nadeau; and niece Kelly (Miller) Bigger.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and only sibling Larry “Butch” Miller.

Visitation will be 3-7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at Thompson Funeral Home, 303 First Street, in Pioneer, Ohio. Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, at the funeral home with Pastor Christian Taylor officiating. Internment will follow at Floral Grove Cemetery in Pioneer. Memorial contributions can be made to the Pioneer United Methodist Church. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Barbara K. (Miller) Kirkendall, please visit our floral store.