Barbara A. Champ

Barbara Ann (Hartman) Champ, surrounded by family and their love, left this world peacefully and was welcomed home into the arms of Jesus on January 22nd, 2026.

Barbara was born in Southern Illinois on September 12th, 1932. Her parents, Frank and Mary Hartman, raised her on the family farm where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood. Barb was never one for staying in the house with her mom, learning to cook or clean, instead, she loved the adventure of being outside with her dad. She would spend hours playing with the livestock and roaming the hills and valleys of Rayse Creek with her dog, getting into mischief and maybe, without permission, riding one of the plow horses.

Barb attended Ashley Elementary School and Ashley High School before moving to Woodlawn High School for her Senior year. It was at WHS that she met a handsome young athlete named Joe Champ. They fell in love and on June 30th, 1951, they were married.

Life wasn't always easy for Barb and Joe. Work was sometimes hard to find, and money often ran short, but their love endured. They welcomed their first child, Becky, and soon after, their second daughter, Debby, followed by Rick and Cindy. With four small children at home, life was crazy and between feeding, cleaning, chasing kids and changing diapers, Barb rarely had a free moment. So, her and Joe made the choice to stop at four. Barb never said, but I doubt that it was a joyous day when she had to tell Joe that she was pregnant again. But as the delivery day approached, she had warmed up to the idea of another baby and excitedly welcomed her fifth child, Tim, into the family. But the surprises were not over. Her doctor, who had walked out of the room, was summoned back in by his nurse who said, "Doctor, there is another one." A couple of minutes later Mindy was born and the family was complete.

Barb's calling for her life was now set. She would be a care giver. She was a tireless, dedicated, loving wife and mother to her family. Even though money was tight and time was precious, Barb made sure each of her children were loved in a special way. Her day started early with cooking breakfast for Joe and didn't end until late at night when the last load of laundry was folded and the toys were picked up. I think it is safe to say that we were poor, but none of us six kids realized it at the time. Mom made sure we had everything we needed, even if it meant she personally had to sacrifice to make it happen.

Barb's caregiving was not reserved just for her family. Through the years she seemed to always have one of two people in the community that came to her for support. Whether it was washing and setting the hair of a neighbor for 25 cents, or taking groceries to a lady who didn't drive, or befriending a troubled young lady who had no friends, she always seemed to have a little time and love for people who needed both. Her house was always open for her children's friends or anyone who needed a place to stay for a night or a few days.

It was no surprise that when Joe passed away unexpectedly in 1986, and Barb needed to find a job, she became a caregiver with Addus HomeCare. For several years she provided in-home care for several clients in the Woodlawn area. She was bound by certain rules in the job, but Barb often ignored those rules and went over and above in providing for her people. Some, like a guy named Ernie and a lady named Alice, became like family to her.

Later her caregiving became a necessity as she opened her home to her mom and cared for her for several years.

But her greatest and most fulfilling job was caring for her Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren. She loved them all and was so very proud of them. She turned her house into a playground for them. Her toy collection was epic, and she made sure to have all the latest and most popular toys for the grandkids. She kept a mental inventory of each toy and knew if there was a dollhouse piece or a Star Wars accessory missing. She bought and installed outdoor playground equipment for various ages to enjoy. For years she followed the next generation around with her 50-pound shoulder-mounted VHS camera capturing every moment of play. She spoiled her Grands with a variety of snacks and multiple food options that were at their disposal. When the six kids were growing up it was, "You'll eat what I fixed for you!" Not so for her grandchildren. Her freezer and refrigerator were stocked with all of their favorite foods, and she fixed whatever they wanted. While the six of us kids got one bottle of pop on Saturday night with supper, the Grands had their choice of several different brands of pop. No need to ask, just go get what you wanted from the back porch fridge.

The joy that her Grandchildren brought her was immeasurable, and the memories that each of them have of her is a legacy that will be passed to future generations.

Barb didn't just find joy in her family; she had a variety of passions throughout her life. She loved country music and owned a wide collection of cassette tapes and CDs. Of course it was only the male singers, not the female. She enjoyed going to concerts with her niece Dixie at the DuQuoin State Fair and joined many fan clubs of her favorite singers and got to meet them at the Fanfest in Nashville.

She also went through a period where she was fascinated with WWE wrestling and didn't miss a match. The action figures were added to her toy collection for all the Grands to enjoy. I think she knew that the wrestling matches were fake, but she didn't care.

She loved going to the movies every week with Dixie again by her side. And sometime in the late 80's or early 90's she started amassing an impressive library of movies copied onto VHS tapes, followed by copied movies onto DVD and finally just the original DVDs. She had a comprehensive catalog system and people all over Woodlawn would drop in and browse her collection and borrow her movies. They all knew that if you took a movie, you had to sign it out so she would know who had it.

As she got older, she developed a ferocious passion for reading books. She would read several books a week and knew when the next addition of her favorite author would be released.

When she didn't feel like reading, she would pull out her yarn and crochet. She had a goal, which she met, of crocheting a blanket for all her Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren as well as many others including one recently for her Doctor's baby.

Barb was an active member of Woodlawn Christian Church. Through the years she taught Sunday School, organized and drove High School kids to Christ In Youth Rallies in the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma, took part in a Women's prayer group, and enjoyed being a part of the Senior Citizens group where she enjoyed meals at restaurants all over Southern Illinois and beyond.

Sometime later in life Barb started her own card ministry. She would faithfully send birthday and anniversary cards to not only her family, but to many of her church family and Woodlawn community. She was faithful to send get-well, thinking of you, and sympathy cards. These cards were appreciated by so many of her friends and family alike.

Barb lived a full and service-oriented life. She was loved and will be missed by her family and friends.

Barbara is survived by her children, Becky (Charles) Mays of Woodlawn, Illinois, Debby (Kenny) Hill of Katy, Texas, Cindy (Bruce) Marlow of Pacific, Missouri, Tim (Rita) Champ of Rushville, Missouri, and Mindy (Dennis) Bevis of Mount Vernon, Illinois; grandchildren, Jeremy (Courtney) Mays of Mount Vernon, Illinois, Charity (Steve) Shapiro of Belleville, Illinois, Angie (Matt) Hoyt of Palm Desert, California, Beth Hill of Cypress, Texas, Rachel Neal of Katy, Texas, Abby O'Neal of Fredricksburg, Texas, Shaun (Amy) Champ of Normal, Illinois, Melanie (Steve) Heroux of Gurnee, Illinois, Bradley (Kelly) Champ of Holts Summit, Missouri, Shannon Marlow of Pacific, Missouri, Mallory (Scott) Prost of Manchester, Missouri, Bryan (Kristi) Champ of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Joel (Heidi) Champ of Springfield, Missouri, Kristle (Nick) Davis of Aplington, Iowa, Caleb (Laurie) Champ of Liberty, Missouri, Sarah (Matt) Jackson of Saint Louis, Missouri, and Jesi Bevis (Gunnar Tollefsen) of Amsterdam, Netherlands; great-grandchildren, Addie Mays, Conner Mays, Sawyer Mays, MaLenna Mays, MaKartny Mays, Mason Mays, Jenasis Mays, Ailie Mays, Alex Shapiro, Owen Shapiro, Kylee Hill, Madison (June) Hill, Cora Neal, Davis Neal, Cash O'Neal, Chloe O'Neal, Jackson Champ, Layla Champ, Declan Heroux, Lexington Heroux, Claira Champ, Emmett Champ, Raegan Marlow, Oliver Prost, Elliot Prost, Charlotte Prost, Leo Prost, Kyler Champ, Kamrin Champ, Kalli Champ, Isabelle Champ, Isaiah Champ, Evelyn Champ, Thomas Champ, Devin Davis, Eden Davis, Kaden Davis, Reid Champ, Cohen Champ, Faye Champ, Miles Jackson, and Clover Tollefsen; great-great-grandson, Brantley Hill; and a great-great-grandson on the way.

In addition to her parents and husband, Barbara was preceded in death by her son, Rick Champ; and grandson, Aaron Marlow.

A Visitation will be held Saturday, January 31, 2026 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Hughey Funeral Home in Mount Vernon. A Funeral Service will begin at 11:00 am with Tim Champ/Bryan Champ officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Vernon Memorial Gardens in Woodlawn, Illinois.

For those who wish, Barbara's service will be available to watch via Zoom. Go to zoom.us/join and enter the Meeting ID: 852 9876 6015.

Call Hughey Funeral Home at 618-242-3348 or visit hugheyfh.com for further information.