CENTERBURG – Barbara J. Pribbenow, 85, of Centerburg, went to be with the Lord on Friday, May 12, 2023.
She was born on Dec. 16, 1937, in Madison, Wisconsin, to the late Bruce and Blanche (Bennett) Morrison. Barbara graduated from DeForest High School in 1956, where she was a majorette and played in the marching band, playing the clarinet.
While in high school, she met and fell in love with Gerald (Jerry) Pribbenow. Following the invitation of lifelong friends Georgeann and Lew Kinney, who they met during Jerry’s service in the Marine Corps, they moved their young family to Ohio. Together through thick and thin, they raised their family, made a home and worked side-by-side until Jerry’s passing in 1988. In addition to being a homemaker, she worked in the office at Rayovac in Madison and as a touch-up artist at Krebs Photography in DeForest. After moving to Ohio, she and Jerry owned and operated Pine Corner Furniture, where she worked as an upholsterer.
Barbara was a woman with great love for the Lord. She was raised in the Lutheran church, and over the years she attended the Church of God in Centerburg, Johnstown and Mt. Vernon. Most recently she had been remotely joining Westwood Alliance Church of Mansfield. Barbara was a faithful prayer warrior, and her family and friends knew that they could always depend on her to take their needs before the throne of grace. Moreover, a conversation with her often included a cheerful sharing of a Scripture she read that week, or an encouraging hymn that was on her heart.
Barbara’s faith was not only seen in her words and prayers but displayed in many sacrificial deeds. She was the consummate supporter, and whether it was a basketball game, choir concert, church service, birthday party, season of tears, or day of joy, she never failed to “be there” for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and friends. A wonderful balance of love, tenderness, underlying grit, and cheerful determination, she was known as an exceptionally positive and non-judgmental person. She will be remembered for her joy and keen sense of humor, her kind and helping ways, and her love for her family and all people. “Having a reputation for good works…she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work” (1 Timothy 5:10 ESV).
Barbara loved life. An avid gardener, she canned and shared the beans, corn, and more from her large beds every year. Her green thumb was also seen in the flowers and houseplants she skillfully cared for and beautified. She loved cardinals, and she knew the song of a robin getting ready for bed. She enjoyed beautiful scenery, visiting over 30 states in her lifetime, including trips out West in recent years with her brother David and niece Melissa and Brian Schuttenhelm, as well as many vacations with the Tobe Hostetler family.
She was a gifted knitter and seamstress, and also a wonderful cook. Few things brought her fulfillment like providing those she loved with goulash, a Sunday roast, rolls, apple pie, or Christmas Eve popcorn balls and kettle corn. Barbara often volunteered her time at VBS, her church’s food pantry, and at Centerburg Elementary School for many years, where she was still preparing the Friday Folders every week. She always enjoyed music, whether playing the piano in her younger years, attending a grandchild’s concert, or singing along to a song she loved at home.
Those left to cherish her memory include her children, Dale (Vicki) Pribbenow, Lori (Jeff) Miller and Mari (Ronnie) Ross, all of Centerburg; eight grandchildren, Joshua (Carrie) Pribbenow, Isaiah (Angel) Pribbenow, Nickolas Miller, Tyler (Sheridan) Miller, Luke (Morgan) Miller, Katie (Clay) Tocheff, Zachary (Kayla) Ross and Jenna (Keoni) Rabaino; 17 great-grandchildren; brother David Morrison; nephew Scott Morrison; niece Melissa (Brian) Schuttenhelm, five great nieces and nephews; dear friends Lew and Georgeann Kinney; and extended family.
In addition to her parents and beloved husband, she was also preceded in death by her son Daniel in 2014, grandchildren Grace Ann and Abbigail Ross, and sister-in-law Karen Morrison.
Friends may call Monday, May 22, from 4-7 p.m. and one hour prior to the 11 a.m. funeral service on Tuesday at the DeVore-Snyder Funeral Home, 637 N. St. Rt. 61, Sunbury, Ohio, 43074. Her grandsons, the Revs. Isaiah Pribbenow and Luke Miller, will co-officiate. Burial will follow in Bloomfield Cemetery, Sparta, next to her husband.
Memorial contributions can be made to: Samaritan’s Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC, 28607.
Condolences may be expressed at SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
