Barb "Sterno" Sternett

1948 - 2025

It's tempting to write that a light went out at 12:10 p.m. Aug. 19, when DeLandite Barb Sternett passed on to her next adventure.
But the light still shines - in the way her son imitates her dance moves, in the memories her sons have of their "powerhouse" single mother overcoming obstacles to raise them, and in the hearts of four teenagers who called her "Grammy."
Born Jan. 7, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Fannie Several Rosen and Lewis Edward Rosen, Barb died at home in DeLand surrounded by family, and under the watchful eye of her "granddog" Ozzy, a Llewellin setter.
"She was a confidently headstrong woman who loved her family, especially all of her grandchildren. The fighter in her propelled her to have one of the strongest work ethics on the planet," her son Kevin Sternett wrote. "She always put everyone before herself. She had a larger-than-life personality and an even bigger smile."
He recalled that she was the first woman ever inducted into the Simpsonville (South Carolina) Rotary Club, and went on to become its president.
Barb packed a lot of life - and light - into her 77 years, earning her the nickname "Sterno."
She succeeded in a variety of jobs, often working 14- and 15-hour days, traveled the world with her second husband, Don Liska, danced the night away on cruise ships (and danced whenever and wherever she had the chance), drove her beloved sports cars, and finally, in 2015, realized her dream of opening her own business, an ice-cream store called Sweet Lics, in DeLand.
"It was an amazing success," Don Liska said. "It was a happy place."
COVID 19 brought an end to Sweet Lics in 2020, and Barb finally retired in 2021, freeing her time for more traveling, for making the chocolate-chip cookies and chocolate-chip pancakes that the grandchildren will always remember, cooking Thanksgiving dinners for her favorite holiday, bargain-hunting, entertaining, and playing board games and card games with her grandchildren and friends.
"She was always the life of the party," Don Liska said.
Barb is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law and their children, Kevin and Jennifer Sternett of Longwood and their children Jacob, 15, and Garyn, 13, and Scott and Stephanie Sternett of Lexington, South Carolina, and their children Evan and Emma, both 16; her husband, Don Liska; and her brother Ronald Rosen of Delray Beach and his wife, Marlene, along with numerous cousins and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Sidney Rosen.
The family wants to thank the family members and friends who cared for Barb during her last days, especially Kiera Williams, and the team from Gentiva Hospice.
Barb would always say, "I am just ducky." She passed away clinging to a duck that Stephanie, her daughter-in-law, had placed in her arms to give her comfort. "We know she is 'just ducky' and resting in peace," her son Scott said.
When it was time to say goodbye, son Kevin remembered, Barb would always stretch her arms wide and say, "I love you this much."
Their memories of her fierce love and warrior spirit sustain the family now. They plan to share those memories at a celebration of Barb's life at a later date, with details to be announced.
Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 8th Ave., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001, or online at www.alzfdn.org/donate. Checks should be made payable to "Alzheimer's Foundation of America."