Barbara Voas

Barbara Howard Voas, beloved wife, mother, grandparent, and great-grandparent, died on Sept. 21, 2019, in Fort Collins, CO. She was 92.

A funeral service will be held at the United Methodist Church in Clark, SD., on Saturday, September 28 ^th .  The service will begin at 1:00 PM. There will be no visitation at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Prairie Valley Cemetery in Raymond, SD., where she will repose with her beloved husband.

She was born Barbara Nancy Howard on Sept. 30, 1926, in Midland, SD. During the straits of the Great Depression, her family moved frequently and lived for several years in a sod house near Wanblee, SD. She graduated from high school in Onida, SD., and from Huron College with a degree in Education.

At Huron College, she met her future husband, the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Thayer Voas, who grew up in Thomas, SD. She was a schoolteacher, and taught in such locales as Lake Preston, Bryant, Pana, IL., Clark, Garden City, Rapid City and Sioux Falls, SD.

Her husband was a United Methodist pastor and district superintendent, and Barbara provided enduring assistance to parishes in Owaneco, Il., Clark, Raymond, Garden City, Rapid City First Church, Sioux Falls Sunnycrest, and Wahpeton and Williston, ND. She found great fellowship and comfort in the church, and her faith was implacable. She loved music, theater and the arts, the outdoors, and literature. Her smiling grace, generous sincerity and good humor made her legions of friends – you couldn't have a better friend – and she was always first to lend a hand to anybody in need. She was a kind, wise and caring mother.

She is survived by seven children, Charles (Kimberly Price) of Garland, TX, Raleigh (Rebecca Warren-Voas) of Fort Collins, CO; Rita Voas DeZurik (Jeff Kussard) of St. Paul, MN; Jeremy (Maaike Stienstra) of Phoenix, AZ; Stanley (Marie Markow) of St. Cloud, MN; Brenda McGahagin (Ralph) of Austin, TX; and Peter (Anne) of Chanhassen, MN. She rejoiced in her 18 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a sister, Rita Meyer of John Day, OR.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband (in 2009), and by her parents, Guy and Esther Thorne Howard of Huron, sisters Vernita and Margaret; brothers James and Bernard; daughters-in-law Cindy Logan Voas and Salle Leech Voas; and son-in-law Mike DeZurik. Also, her father- and mother-in-law, Charles and Ethel Graves Voas of Thomas.

The family requests memorials be forwarded to the family, c/o Rita Voas DeZurik, 210 Oak Grove Place, St. Paul, MN 55105. Memorials will be used to support education (family Scholarship Fund at Dakota Wesleyan Univ), the United Methodist Church, and Turnberry Place Assisted Living in Ft. Collins.

The Furness Funeral Home of Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com

Click on the following link to watch a memorial video for Barbara.

https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/GJTW5HZR2BJJM9B7