Barbara (Richardson) Strickler

Barbara Strickler Born Feb. 13, 1932 Died July 13, 2023 Barb passed away on July 13th at the age of 91 surrounded by her devoted family. After a year and a half of missing her husband and declining health, she finally said, “Enough Lord. Take me to my Tommy and let me swing dance again.” Barbara spent most of her working life as a cosmetics buyer for a drugstore chain in Syracuse, IN. She exemplified beauty - outside and in. She was always perfectly made up and fashionably dressed, even if she was just picking tomatoes in the garden. To her, food was love. She spent endless hours in her kitchen crafting new dishes, perfecting old ones, and just dilly dallying. She was especially proficient at baking and delighted in passing those skills onto her beloved granddaughter. Her recipes have been published in Taste of Home and Cook’s Country magazines. She dominated the Elkhart, IN County Fair baking competition in cookies and pies for many years until she voluntarily took herself out to give others a chance. Her rhubarb and apple pies were her best works. Her grandchildren gave her the most joy imaginable. Every summer was Camp Grandma and Grandpa at Lake Wawasee, IN. Catching turtles, night fishing, fireflies in a lantern jar, smashing pennies on the railroad tracks, fireworks on the lake, giving the grandma tuck-in so tight there was no moving. Putting aloe on sunburned faces that craved but never gave in to an afternoon nap and curing chigger bites with nail polish. Baking and fluting pies from just-picked wild black raspberries and frying up freshly caught perch. Visits to their Amish friends to pick sweet corn. Crazy Eights could last past midnight but she stayed up until they won and was up before them the next morning with the smell of maple bacon wafting through the house. They left on the plane with four hand squeezes that meant “I love you more” and with enough snacks to feed all on board. She was thoughtful, kind, and fun. Sometimes the apple rolled down the embankment and got lost in a smart retort but these last years with her have taught me if you can bring a twinkle to someone’s eye, do so every time. Squeeze and shake a hand hard. Kiss a forehead. Play a joke. Compliment a stranger. Wink. She always left me with a “Keep sweet.” She was preceded in death by her husband of 70+ years Tom Strickler and their son, Steve. She is survived by her daughter, Marsha Gaspari and her husband Mike, her grandson, Daniel and his wife Bailey Gaspari, and her granddaughter, Sarah Gaspari and her fiance, Kevin Cheng. The family asks that you make a donation to the charity of your choice. We want to thank her many extraordinary caregivers and friends - especially Joe, Terri, and Piper and the staff at Mt. Valley Hospice. You may send cards of condolence to: 2111 Hauser Road Lewisville, NC 27023.

Services will be held at a later date in Indiana.