May 30, 1934 – February 11, 2019
Barbara Jean Pavkovich (nee Luebke) died peacefully at home on February 11, 2019 of congestive heart failure. She was surrounded by her family when she passed.
Barbara was born in Chehalis, Washington on May 30, 1934. She grew up in the Boistfort Valley, which is west of Chehalis. Her parents ran the general store at Klaber, which doubled as a post office.
She graduated from Boistfort High School in 1951 and then attended Oregon State University, where she graduated in 1955 as a Medical Technologist. She worked a short time in Portland, Oregon and then moved to California. She worked at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation starting in 1957. She met John, her husband of 58 years, in Palo Alto and they were married in 1960. She retired in 1968 when daughter Sioux was born.
Barbara enjoyed gardening, traveling, and being a homemaker. She was quite active at Menlo Church, where she helped host choir Christmas dinners and events for seniors for many years.
She is survived by her husband John; her children, Sioux and David, who are local; and her brother Robert, of Ennis Montana.
A Memorial Service will be held at Menlo Church in Menlo Park, CA at 2:00 PM on Friday, March 1st. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Menlo Church, Mission Hospice in San Mateo, CA, or to the charity of your choice.
My dear cousin , long-time friend and kindest sweet person . My fondest old memories are from the summers my family spent in Klaber, WA. when my parents ‘ran the store’ for a wk. or 2 so Barb’s family could have a vacation . Then we always stayed longer & squeezed in a short camping trip to Spirit Lake by Mt. St. Helen’s or even just a picnic by the river at the bottom of their property. I also was not so fortunate to tag along with Barb & Bob to pick peas & strawberries at a neighbors small farm. Guess it helped us all build character ….. it was actually a good life .
Barbara was a client of mine. I did her hair for years. We became great friends and she was such a sweet person. I had met her husband once and never met her children, but I felt as though I knew them because of the conversations through the years. I even knew about some of her friends that they shared vacations with. I will miss her even though I hadn’t seen her in quite a while because I moved from Fremont. After I retired Barbara came to visit me while I was living in Fremont and we went to lunch. Barbara had a big heart and a great sense of humor. She will be missed by everyone who knew her.