Barbara Jean Quinones

Barbara Jean Quinones was born February 17, 1944, in Manhattan, Kansas, and passed away February 28, 2026, at the age of 82, after a long and courageous journey with Alzheimer's disease. She leaves behind a family who loved her deeply and a life story marked by strength, independence, and a fierce sense of justice and human rights.

From a very young age she learned responsibility early, becoming in charge of her siblings at just four years old. She started out as a shy and timid child, but over time she blossomed into the strong, spirited, and sometimes wonderfully bossy woman her family knew and loved.

She later built a life and family of her own, raising her children across the 1960s through the 2000s. With determination and an adventurous spirit, she made the bold decision to travel from Illinois to Washington State with her five-year-old daughter, beginning a new chapter and building the life that would become home for the rest of her family.

Barbara lived a life that refused to stay still. Over the years she worked many jobs and met many people along the way. She worked with the pilot program of Head Start, drove a school bus, worked as a cocktail waitress and bartender, and even operated a forklift for John Deere. Whatever the job, she brought determination, humor, and a willingness to work hard.

Barbara was known for standing up for people. She believed deeply in protecting others, defending human rights, and speaking up when something was wrong. Her strength of character and compassion shaped the lives of those around her. Those who knew her well often saw these values reflected in the words of Micah 6:8:

"What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."

She also had a playful sense of humor and a way of saying things that made those around her smile. When someone pushed her buttons, she might jokingly say they made her so mad she was "doing backflips and spitting wooden nickels."

Life brings many seasons, and Barbara's life was full of them - adventure, hard work, laughter, and love. As the Bible reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3:1–4:

"To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."

In her later years Barbara faced Alzheimer's with courage. Though the illness slowly took pieces of memory, the love she carried for her family never faded. Even as she fought the disease, she fiercely loved her family and often left little notes reminding them how much she cared.

As written in 2 Corinthians 4:16:

"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

A Celebration of Life will be held on March 26, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Christ the King Church, with an inurnment will follow at 2:00 p.m. at Moles Greenacres Memorial Park

Barbara's family invites all who knew and loved her to join them in remembering a woman whose strength, spirit, and love will never be forgotten.

Though she will be fiercely missed, Barbara lives on in the hearts and memories of those who loved her.