Barbara Billingsley

1941 - 2020

Barbara Billingsley
Barbara Billingsley, devoted sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend was called to be with the Lord on June 13, 2020.
Loving sister to Ed (Jan) Billingsley, John (Michelle) Billingsley, Tom (Joan) Billingsley, Bernard (Patty) Billingsley, Forest Billingsley, Walter (Clarissa) Billingsley and Michael (Vicky Ramirez) Billingsley.
Loving mother to Tim (Kitty) Levely, Michelle (Bern) Case, Nadine (Darold) Barkley, Gayla (Marc Overton) Levely, Matthew (Jessica Barnum) Miller, Jodee Miller.
Loving stepmother to Don (Tracy) Miller, Linda (Mike Joyce) Razer, Jim (Heidi) Miller.
Loving grandmother to Tiffany (Adam) Curtis, Casandra (Eston) Bowers, Justin Levely, Brent (Penni) Case, Judd (Joanne) Case, Rex (Susan) Case, Tyler (Kristy) Moss, Melissa (James) Edwards, Sarah (Jon) Maier, Kaitilyn (Matt Verhage) Zepeda, Darance Holland, Andrew (Amanda) Holland, Tiffany Watkins, Charlie Watkins, Christopher Miller, Brandon Miller, Kayla Miller, Mikenzie VanOrden, Mikayla VanOrden, Wyatt Fort, Jennifer (Blake) Mimish, Brandon (Brandi) Miller, Bennie Miller, Mekenzie Miller, James Razer, Jessica Razer, Jake Razer, Emily (Josh) Hemming, Loren MIller, Lexie Miller and many great grandchildren.
Loving aunt to scores of nieces and nephews, a loving friend to everyone she met.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Forest and Beulah Billingsley; her brothers, Forest and Edwin Billingsley; her grandchildren, Brandon Miller and Melissa Moss Edwards; and her late husband, Donald Miller.
As a small-town girl from Sanford with seven brothers, Barbara was full of life and pizzazz. She was intelligent, quick-witted and fun-loving with a contagious laugh and dazzling smile. She attended Sanford Elementary, graduated from Midland High School and went on to attend college where she obtained her business certification in accounting.
She married Elwood Levely, started her family and owned a gas station in Sanford. A few years later she moved to Detroit with her husband and children for employment opportunities. Barbara established herself as a professional businesswoman and managed the bookkeeping for a major electric company.
Although she loved city life, several years later with four children in tow, Barbara decided it was time to step away and return to her hometown of Sanford.
She became the accountant for J&D Plumbing and worked as a bartender at Red Oak Lounge. She met her late husband, Donald Miller, and was westward bound for a wild adventure in the San Bernardino Mountains of California. Thinking she was headed to sunshine and warmer weather, Barbara often joked that she saw more snow there than she ever did in Michigan.
With her small-town roots intact, Barbara returned to Midland County. She returned to J&D Plumbing and later worked jobs that fit the needs of her childrens' school schedules. Her sparkling eyes and dazzling smile were a favorite behind the counter to patrons at Dawn Doughnuts. Once her children were established, she worked at the Soaring Eagle Casino where you could catch her beautiful smile in the Bingo Department.
She was a true romantic who absolutely believed in love. Late in life she accepted the hand of Israel DaVila and married once again. She was on her way to the next big adventure. Barbara was excited to finally become a snowbird and travel to Israel's hometown of Alice, Texas during the cold winter months of Michigan. Always quick on her feet and ready for fun, Barbara set them up at a bed and breakfast resort where they assisted the owner with office operations, maintenance, cleaning and guest registrations.
Barbara had a desire to be closer with God, an adventurous spirit, an entrepreneurial mind, a thirst for knowledge and a zest for life. She loved everyone she met unconditionally and accepted people as they were. She was known to take in her children's friends, and you could count on her in times of need. She was a hard worker who always found a way to provide for her family. She had a passion for music and the arts, the history of our nation, cooking, baking, spending time with family and being a grandmother. She helped her mother plan the first Billingsley Family Reunion which has continued on for over 40 years. She played the piano beautifully and played for her church. She also became a member of the Sweet Adelines Choir for a short time. She naturally mastered pole painting and loved crafting and playing games with family.
Barbara had an amazing ability to cultivate fun right out of thin air. If you were with Barbara, you were going to laugh and leave with memories to last a lifetime.
She gave her children everything she could give and provided them with the tools they needed to succeed in life. She taught her children to seek God, to enjoy life and to appreciate the simple things. She encouraged each child to be themselves, to think outside of the box, to love unconditionally, to help others, to make something out of nothing, to appreciate music and the arts, to take Sunday drives and pick wild flowers, to picnic by the lake, to eat ice cream for breakfast, to be the best parents they could be, to find success in their own ways and to strive to do better each day.
She loved her nieces and nephews as her own and you could often find them intermingled in the group at her house or on the road to the next adventure.
Barbara's most precious achievement was being a grandmother. You would often hear her say being a grandmother was her greatest joy. She assisted with nurturing her grandchildren to be the wonderful adults they are today. She was present for every achievement and loved them through life's disappointments. She provided countless camping trips, fourth of July activities, New Year's Eve pots and pans banging parades, Christmas celebrations, Easter egg baskets, slumber parties, game nights, birthday celebrations, karaoke concerts and baking time in the kitchen. She promoted band and choir, cheered at sporting events, and rode shotgun in the car for driver's training. She embraced her grandchildren and encouraged them to be compassionate and the best people they could be.
Barbara was an amazing woman and leader of our family. She knew that the true treasures in life could not be found in precious metals or in bank accounts. To know her was to love her. Although it is excruciatingly difficult to imagine our family without her, we find comfort in knowing that heaven shines a little brighter with her there.
Friends may visit with the family at Ware-Smith-Woolever Funeral Home on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Funeral procession will take place at 1:30 p.m. to Jerome Township Cemetery. Funeral service will take place at Jerome Township Cemetery at 2:00pm. A dinner for friends and family will take place at the Moose Lodge in Sanford, Michigan at 4:30 p.m.
Those planning an expression of sympathy in memory of Barbara Billingsley are asked to consider Sanford Centennial Museum, PO Box 243, Sanford, MI 48657. Please note Barbara's name with your donation.
To honor her memory, the family is asking friends and loved ones to share a story, photo, or kind word to a virtual memorial board on the Ware-Smith-Woolever website.