- Date Of Death: June 15, 2019
- State: Arizona
Barbara Crooks Siko, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on June 15, 2019. Born in Ohio, Barbara graduated from Lake Forest High School and received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the College of Wooster. She continued her education at Case Western Reserve University, where she began an MBA program. Barbara started her career working for the Federal Reserve in Ohio. While working in Cleveland, she met Jerome Siko, and they married in August 1976. They started their beautiful family in Utah, and then moved to Ohio, where Barbara dedicated her life to raising their three children. They eventually moved to Arizona, where Barbara volunteered in her children’s schools and supported them in all of their activities.
Barbara was an extraordinary homemaker and had a passion and talent for quilting, cooking, and baking. Her kitchen was known for its delicious aromas of home cooked meals and for endless laughter and warmth. She was an avid traveler who enjoyed planning vacations for family and friends, with a special fondness for staying in the same house with all members of her immediate family. Barbara always put everyone before herself and was an active volunteer in her church planning and preparing meals for hundreds of people on mission trips to Mexico and across the U.S. She also prepared meals for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and was a dedicated member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.). After her children graduated from high school, Barbara went on to work for the Mayo Clinic hospital as a travel assistant until her retirement in November 2018.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Amy Crooks, and her step-mother, Wanetta Crooks. She is survived by her husband, Jerome Siko, her sister, Ellen (Harvey) Eich, and her step-sister, Gwendolyn (Lou) Nachman. She is also survived by her children: Charles (Casey) Siko, Kevin (Victoria) Siko, and Amy (Warner) Gabel, and her grandchildren: Adam, Andrew, Henry, and George Siko. Barbara’s optimistic spirit, courageous soul, and compassionate character touched the lives of everyone who met her. Her inner brightness ignited the light in others, especially her family and friends, through her eternal love, devotion, and generosity.
