- Date Of Birth: June 28, 1935
- Date Of Death: March 30, 2018
- State: Idaho
A baby girl was born to George R. Barnard and Modenia Potts Barnard on the 28th of June 1935 at American Falls, Idaho and named Barbara. She passed away on March 30, 2018 surrounded by her family. The first 18 years of her life were spent at Minidoka Dam where her father worked at the power plant. The dam camp had about 20 families living in the Government housing there. She swam in the river and rode a bike making many close friends there. When she was 12 her sister Darlene was born. She attended Acequia grade school in the old two-story building with the large bell on top. She attended high school at Acequia (go Indians) and the last two years were at Rupert High School (go Pirates) and played a saxophone in the marching and pep bands. In June of 1953 after high school graduation, she attended Henager School of Business in Salt Lake City for 9 months, living at Brigham Young’s Bee Hive House Annex. She enjoyed many spiritual experiences living in the shadow of the Salt Lake Temple. Her return to Rupert came in April of 1954 where she worked at the Idaho First National Bank.
On December 1, 1955, she married her favorite date, Leo Robbins in the Idaho Falls Temple for time and eternity. Leo and Barbara lived in a home on the farm previously purchased by Leo. They raised many things on the farm, their most important crop being their children: Leona Kay May (Brent), Bonnie Jean Carter (Duane), Laura Jo Koyle (Kendall), Leo Bruce Robbins (Heidi), George Clint Robbins, Connie Smith (Dennis), and Carolyn Robbins. Leo and Barbara also had 3 foster children at various times. She has 29 grandchildren and 55 great grandchildren. She said she used to think children are a gift from God, but learned they are just loaned to us and we’ll be accountable if we don’t do right by them. She loved all of her posterity and was teaching them even on her last day on earth. She will continue to teach her family and friends both here on earth and those who have gone before her.
She loved family history and gathered volumes of history. With her love and talent for art she could draw portraits of some of her ancestors creating a closeness and kinship to those she drew. She wrote in a journal throughout the years and shares her love for the scriptures and her testimony about the plan of salvation.
