Barbara Sue Wolcott Jeskey peacefully went to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 25th, 2022, she was 98 years old.
She was born in Washington D.C. on July, 2, 1924, and grew up in southern Maryland with her sister, Rose Marie, and her lifelong best friend, Martie. As the three tallest girls at Chevy Chase High School, they were the pillars of the school basketball team, and Barbara’s love of sports remained a constant theme in her life. Raising her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, she was a diehard fan of the Forty Niners, but made exceptions for Peyton Manning specifically.
Her childhood stories were family legend, from riding in the dumbwaiter at her parents’ house to letting the air out of police car tires on Halloween. There was always dancing in the record store aisles when the new Glenn Miller album arrived, along with bouncing along in the rumble seat of her friend Erwin’s Model T. As a teenager during WWII she and Martie were “Rosie the Riveters,” and that same sense of patriotism led her to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Never without a smile, a positive thing to say, and plenty of hugs to give, Barbara was a true light in this world. Her family was the love of her life — she always knew she would have four daughters — followed closely by animals, flowers, and just about any living thing that grew. She was especially fond of dogs and cats; she said more than once how important she thought animals were: “God saved them right along with Noah.”
She served on the flower guild at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, and a long-held dream was to decorate one of the floats in the Rose Parade. (In a testament to her abilities, she once won an award for a floral arrangement made of weeds.)
She loved to travel, even though she was always convinced she would never get on any flight as a stand-by. (There was always room.) Favorite destinations included the Holy Land, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Greece — but Hawaii was always a top destination, no matter the length (or lack thereof) of the trip.
She was preceded in death by her parents John and Rosina Wolcott; her husband Jim; her sister Rose Marie Williams; her daughter Joann Magnuson and son-in-law David Magnuson; son-in-law Clayton Sullivan; and dearest friend Martha “Martie” Wannemacher.
She is survived by her daughters, Patricia Jeskey; Mary Katherine Jeskey; Barbara Sullivan; and granddaughters Scarlett James, Caroline Sullivan, and Victoria Sullivan (Shawn Kemp).
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the flower guild of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Murfreesboro, TN.
Visitation will be Tuesday 4:00 PM-7:00 PM at Woodfin Memorial Chapel. Funeral service will be 11:00 AM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery www.woodfinchapel.com
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