| Graduation Year | Class of 1961 |
| Date of Birth | Mar 14, 1943 |
| Date of Passing | Mar 27, 2024 |
| About | Barbara Jean Iddings was born March 14, 1943 to Robert Thomas Brown and Virginia Beatrice Waddell Brown in Roanoke, Virginia. She left us on March 27, 2024. Barbara had lived a full life of 81 years. Barbara is survived by her loving son Robert Victor (Karen), her loving daughter Stephanie Renee (Geoff). She also leaves behind her grandsons, James, Aiden, and Steven, her great-grandson Osric. She also left her step-grandchildren, Brittany, Paul and Amber, step-great-grandchildren, Finn and Onyx, and many extended family members, and close friends. Barbara was predeceased by her parents, and siblings Patricia (Pat) Bowles and Thomas (Tommy-TR) Brown, her infant daughter Leisah Scott and infant great-granddaughter Onora James. Barbara was an intelligent and industrious woman, graduating from William Byrd High School in 1961, and then moving on to Nursing School and Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where she graduated in 1964. During her career Barbara worked in 10 different hospitals across 7 states prior to a work injury in 1991 which left her with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Not one to be sidelined, Barbara started therapy groups for those with a TBI, and in 2002 she was the recipient of the Emily Couric Award for her work with The Brain Injury Association of Virginia. Having lived in many great cities across the U.S., Barbara was particularly fond of New Orleans, Louisiana and Santa Fe, New Mexico, but her favorite place that she called “home” was Kailua, Hawaii, even though she realized she did not have “hula hips.” She enjoyed water skiing, snow skiing and camping. She had an eye for detail decorating her home to make it welcoming and warm. She especially enjoyed gardening. It was essential to her well-being as that was her therapy. Her favorite color was coincidentally green. She loved animals, with dogs being her favorite. She also loved all things chocolate! Barbara was kind, compassionate, selfless, stubborn, charming, funny, witty, and playful. She was very outgoing and social and made friends easily. Her oldest and dearest friend, whom she saw as a sister, was Bea Lavender Fleshman. Bea taught her how to smoke, dance, shave her legs, and how to truly enjoy life and seek adventure. Barbara loved throwing dinner parties and get-togethers. Her favorite holiday was Christmas, spending time with family and close friends. She loved making Jets, sausage cheese balls and Noel pound cake and distributing them to all that attended the Christmas parties. To Barbara, the most important thing in life was Family. She became a surrogate Mom and/or mentor to many family members. Her children’s friends knew they were welcome and loved, coming into her home. Most called her Mom and she treated them like her children, offering advice, hugs, snacks and a comforting place to just “hang-out.” Her absence will be felt by many and missed every day until we can all be joined together again. We are planning a Celebration of Life that will be held at a later date. We will have an update when those plans are finalized, to allow family members who are further away to attend. God Bless! |
