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Barbara Elizabeth King was born Nov. 26, 1936 (Thanksgiving Day), at the family home in Winona, Minn. She was the fifth child (fourth daughter) of Carlus E. and Helen K. (Miller) Walter.
She was baptized, received first holy communion (May 14, 1944) and confirmed at St. Joseph Parish in Winona. She attended St. Joseph Grade School, then Cathedral High School for two years until it was consolidated into the co-educational Cotter High School, from which she graduated in 1954. Barbara was taught by the Franciscan sisters (Rochester), from first grade through college at the College of St. Teresa, where she majored in Spanish and minored in speech and drama.
After college, she was an international airline stewardess for Pan American World Airways for two years. Barbara relished travel and drew on her Spanish major as she flew in the Miami-based Latin American division to Central America, the east coast of South America and the Caribbean. The second year she flew in the San Francisco-based Pacific Division to Hawaii, the central and south Pacific and London. Her longest trip was to Australia.
She married George B. King on Aug. 20, 1960. Daughter Elizabeth Ann was born in June 1961 in Owatonna, Minn., and son Colin Christopher was born in June 1971 in Storm Lake.
Family was very important to Barbara, and she brought her playful spirit to homemaking – re-arranging furniture, decorating with a range of colors, and trying various dessert recipes. She enjoyed adding new pieces of wood furniture handmade by vendors at the Storm Lake Fourth of July craft fairs at Chautauqua Park. As her children grew, they had their favorite things to do with mom. They liked going to the town pool, the park, and playing games, like spying on mom with their friends as she worked in the kitchen.
Barbara was an active volunteer at schools and church, offering her love of reading and learning to others. At the time of the Catholic Vatican II Council, she attended classes to facilitate her teaching C.C.D. classes in Cedar Falls, then team-taught with George in Minneapolis. After moving to Storm Lake in 1969, she continued teaching C.C.D. classes until Colin was born in 1971. Barbara later tutored in the Adult Literacy E.S.L. program and enjoyed being a volunteer teacher’s aide at St. Mary’s grade school. She also liked to read, garden and work in the yard.
She was preceded in death by her husband George B. King; parents, Carlus and Helen Walter; her siblings: William Walter, Mary (Walter) Dreas, Teresa (Walter) Schiller, Kathryn (Walter) Bender, Charlotte (Walter) Ritter and Robert Walter; and several extended family members.
She is survived by her daughter Elizabeth (Dennis) King Keenan; son Colin (Carrie) King; and grandchildren, Thomas Robert King and Emily Grace King.
