Obituary of Shirley Joanne Babcock
Shirley "Joanne" Babcock, talented quilter, small business owner, clever dance partner, accomplished traveler, and devoted wife of Everett Babcock, passed on March 1, 2018 after being at St. John's Hospital in Tulsa for over a month.
Joanne began quilting seriously in 1982 and what started as a hobby soon turned into a life-long passion. Her quilts not only gave pleasure to family and friends, but also became an integral part of fundraising efforts for The Salvation Army, Ducks Unlimited, and The Brook Army Medical Center Fisher House in San Antonio, TX and Grace Memorial United Methodist Church in Independence, KS. Joanne thoroughly enjoyed quilting retreats and shop hops from KC to Paducah, Kentucky, Still, Joanne loved and appreciated the sisterhood and friendship of her "gal pals" more than anything. The last quilting project she was working on was "The Women of the Bible" and had several blocks downloaded and completed.
Joanne was a proud member of the Coffeyville Field Kindley High School in class of 1957. She earned her Associates degree from Coffeyville Community College in 1960. Joanne always had a "knack" for numbers and in fact always wanted to become an engineer. Instead, she quickly found a niche as a bookkeeper for several local businesses in Montgomery County, often working three jobs at a time to make ends meet. Later, Joanne worked at ACC in Independence and then Day and Zimmerman in Parsons, Ks. Even though she didn't become an engineer, Joanne realized another dream by opening and running her own business - Jo's Liquor Store in Caney, Ks. She loved the conversations with her regular customers and Jo's Liquor quickly became a vibrant new business in Caney.
Jitterbug, twist and shout, foxtrot, or two-step, you name it and Joanne could "cut a sassy rug" with the best of them, but she enjoyed her dance moves the most with her devoted husband, Everett, aka "EB". They were regulars at the VFW, American Legion and Shrine dances. Her hobbies and activities included quilting, sewing, knitting, cooking, collecting Jim Shore figurines, exercising with the ladies, and reading. She loved reading and especially enjoyed reading about the lifestyle and crafts of the Amish.
"Pack up the 5th wheel, Jo!", Everett would say, " We're going to the school bus races", "Let's head to Branson for a long weekend", "Why don't we go fishing and camping at Big Hill", "Let's go see the hot air balloons in Albuquerque" or several times to Ft Worth or San Antonio they would head. So, Joanne would pack and stock the inside and EB would prep the outside. They became accomplished travelers while seeing the country together: they visited 48 U.S. states, along with Mexico and Canada. They were a team, a traveling force with each one complementing the other throughout the process. While Joanne and Everett were married "only" 17 years as of last August 5th, there were very few days they weren't on the go somewhere.
Loyal sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and wife -- Shirley Joanne Rice was the third of four children born to George and Annis (Morrow) Rice, on November 23, 1939 in the old Southeast Kansas Hospital, just south of the Methodist Church in Coffeyville. At the time her family lived on a farm southwest of Coffeyville in the Banks District. For a short time during 1940-41 she lived in the Tourist Court in Riverton, KS, while her father worked on Camp Crowder in Neosho, MO. Joanne mostly grew up in Coffeyville and throughout her life lived in Coffeyville, Parsons, Clay Center, Independence, Mound Valley, Altamont, Caney, and Dearing, KS.
Now Joanne is at rest and we hold her close within us. Please hold her close, as we do, in your mind and your spirit. We will remember her smile, her warmth, her energy, her love for life, family and friends. The family members charged with the honor of keeping Joanne's spirit alive are the following: her loving and devoted husband, Mr. Everett Babcock of Dearing, KS; two brothers: Jim Rice of Modesto, CA, and Darrell Rice (Gayle) of Broken Arrow, OK; one sister, Barbara Burri of Nampa, ID; two daughters: Peggy Ybarra (Jesse) of Altamont, KS, and Lori Morgan (Gary) of Cibolo, TX; one son, Brad Hazen of Wichita, KS; and a step-daughter, Karla Babcock of Bixby, OK; five grandchildren: Ian Ybarra (Petra) of Easthampton, MA, Matthew Ybarra (Linda) of Santa Fe, NM, Quentin Ybarra of Chicago, IL, Austin Trainor of Houston, TX, and Caitlin Hidvegi (Nate) of Tulsa, OK.; and two great-granddaughters: Leona Ybarra and Alma Ybarra.
Visitation will be on Sunday, March 4, 2018, 5-7pm at the Grace Memorial United Methodist Church in Independence, KS.
Funeral Service will be Monday, March 5, 2018, at 10am at the Grace Memorial United Methodist Church in Independence, KS.
Graveside Services will be at 2pm at the Altoona Cemetery in Altoona, KS
. Memorial donations to the Grace Memorial United Methodist Church in Independence, KS; contributions may be left with or mailed in care of David W. Barnes Funeral Home, 306 North Cline Road, Coffeyville, KS 67337.
