Barbara Ann Rowley Opperman passed away peacefully at her son's home in Urbana on Sunday (April 23, 2023), two days before her 93rd birthday.
Barbara was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and lived in the family home on Torrison Drive with her older brother, Robert Jerome (Jerry) Rowley. She attended McKinley Elementary school, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and Lincoln High School, where she graduated in 1948.
She studied Medical Laboratory Technology at the Northwest Institute of Medical Technology in Minneapolis, and after completing the program in the spring of 1949, she took her first job at Iroquois Hospital in Watseka. It was in Watseka that she met the love of her life, David Russell Opperman. On June 18, 1950, they were married in the First United Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc, where she attended while growing up. David was born and raised in Piper City and was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church there.
As newlyweds they lived in an apartment on Clark Street in Champaign while David worked as an advanced weather forecaster and climatology instructor at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul and Barbara worked as a medical technician at Mercy Hospital in Champaign.
In the spring of 1951, they purchased a home in Rantoul, where they were living when their first child, Linda, was born.
ln 1952, David was recalled into the Navy during the Korean War and assigned as a hurricane forecaster in Miami. They sold their home in Rantoul and moved to Miami.
After David completed his tour of duty, they returned to Rantoul, where they were living when their second child, Scott, was born. On Jan. 1, 1954, they moved into their newly built home in Urbana, where their third child, Mark, was born in 1955. All three children attended Urbana public schools and graduated from Urbana High School.
In addition to being a wife, mother and homemaker, Barbara was active as a volunteer while the children were growing up, including with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Sunday school, women's church groups, engineering wives groups, the Urbana Clothing Center, Empty Tomb, P.E.O. and with the Mercy Hospice program. After David retired, they were active in Youth With A Mission and travelled extensively. Barbara is currently a member of Twin City Bible Church, where she has served on the Missions Committee and the Shepherding Council.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband and her brother.
She is survived by her three children, Linda (Roger Wigen), Scott and Mark (Tomoko Hirose); three grandchildren, Nicky Dyal, Jonas (Janice) and Tessa (David Emery); and three great-grandchildren, Madeline, Collin and River.
Services are being held for Barbara on April 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Morgan Memorial Home, Savoy. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Brenton Cemetery, Piper City, at 1 p.m.
Published by The News-Gazette on Apr. 25, 2023.
Barbara was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and lived in the family home on Torrison Drive with her older brother, Robert Jerome (Jerry) Rowley. She attended McKinley Elementary school, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and Lincoln High School, where she graduated in 1948.
She studied Medical Laboratory Technology at the Northwest Institute of Medical Technology in Minneapolis, and after completing the program in the spring of 1949, she took her first job at Iroquois Hospital in Watseka. It was in Watseka that she met the love of her life, David Russell Opperman. On June 18, 1950, they were married in the First United Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc, where she attended while growing up. David was born and raised in Piper City and was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church there.
As newlyweds they lived in an apartment on Clark Street in Champaign while David worked as an advanced weather forecaster and climatology instructor at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul and Barbara worked as a medical technician at Mercy Hospital in Champaign.
In the spring of 1951, they purchased a home in Rantoul, where they were living when their first child, Linda, was born.
ln 1952, David was recalled into the Navy during the Korean War and assigned as a hurricane forecaster in Miami. They sold their home in Rantoul and moved to Miami.
After David completed his tour of duty, they returned to Rantoul, where they were living when their second child, Scott, was born. On Jan. 1, 1954, they moved into their newly built home in Urbana, where their third child, Mark, was born in 1955. All three children attended Urbana public schools and graduated from Urbana High School.
In addition to being a wife, mother and homemaker, Barbara was active as a volunteer while the children were growing up, including with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Sunday school, women's church groups, engineering wives groups, the Urbana Clothing Center, Empty Tomb, P.E.O. and with the Mercy Hospice program. After David retired, they were active in Youth With A Mission and travelled extensively. Barbara is currently a member of Twin City Bible Church, where she has served on the Missions Committee and the Shepherding Council.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband and her brother.
She is survived by her three children, Linda (Roger Wigen), Scott and Mark (Tomoko Hirose); three grandchildren, Nicky Dyal, Jonas (Janice) and Tessa (David Emery); and three great-grandchildren, Madeline, Collin and River.
Services are being held for Barbara on April 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Morgan Memorial Home, Savoy. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Brenton Cemetery, Piper City, at 1 p.m.
Published by The News-Gazette on Apr. 25, 2023.
Barbara Ann Rowley Opperman passed away peacefully at her son's home in Urbana on Sunday (April 23, 2023), two days before her 93rd birthday.
Barbara was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and lived in the family home on Torrison Drive with her older brother, Robert Jerome (Jerry) Rowley. She attended McKinley Elementary school, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and Lincoln High School, where she graduated in 1948.
She studied Medical Laboratory Technology at the Northwest Institute of Medical Technology in Minneapolis, and after completing the program in the spring of 1949, she took her first job at Iroquois Hospital in Watseka. It was in Watseka that she met the love of her life, David Russell Opperman. On June 18, 1950, they were married in the First United Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc, where she attended while growing up. David was born and raised in Piper City and was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church there.
As newlyweds they lived in an apartment on Clark Street in Champaign while David worked as an advanced weather forecaster and climatology instructor at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul and Barbara worked as a medical technician at Mercy Hospital in Champaign.
In the spring of 1951, they purchased a home in Rantoul, where they were living when their first child, Linda, was born.
ln 1952, David was recalled into the Navy during the Korean War and assigned as a hurricane forecaster in Miami. They sold their home in Rantoul and moved to Miami.
After David completed his tour of duty, they returned to Rantoul, where they were living when their second child, Scott, was born. On Jan. 1, 1954, they moved into their newly built home in Urbana, where their third child, Mark, was born in 1955. All three children attended Urbana public schools and graduated from Urbana High School.
In addition to being a wife, mother and homemaker, Barbara was active as a volunteer while the children were growing up, including with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Sunday school, women's church groups, engineering wives groups, the Urbana Clothing Center, Empty Tomb, P.E.O. and with the Mercy Hospice program. After David retired, they were active in Youth With A Mission and travelled extensively. Barbara is currently a member of Twin City Bible Church, where she has served on the Missions Committee and the Shepherding Council.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband and her brother.
She is survived by her three children, Linda (Roger Wigen), Scott and Mark (Tomoko Hirose); three grandchildren, Nicky Dyal, Jonas (Janice) and Tessa (David Emery); and three great-grandchildren, Madeline, Collin and River.
Services are being held for Barbara on April 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Morgan Memorial Home, Savoy. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Brenton Cemetery, Piper City, at 1 p.m.
Published by The News-Gazette on Apr. 25, 2023.
Barbara was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and lived in the family home on Torrison Drive with her older brother, Robert Jerome (Jerry) Rowley. She attended McKinley Elementary school, Woodrow Wilson Junior High School and Lincoln High School, where she graduated in 1948.
She studied Medical Laboratory Technology at the Northwest Institute of Medical Technology in Minneapolis, and after completing the program in the spring of 1949, she took her first job at Iroquois Hospital in Watseka. It was in Watseka that she met the love of her life, David Russell Opperman. On June 18, 1950, they were married in the First United Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc, where she attended while growing up. David was born and raised in Piper City and was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church there.
As newlyweds they lived in an apartment on Clark Street in Champaign while David worked as an advanced weather forecaster and climatology instructor at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul and Barbara worked as a medical technician at Mercy Hospital in Champaign.
In the spring of 1951, they purchased a home in Rantoul, where they were living when their first child, Linda, was born.
ln 1952, David was recalled into the Navy during the Korean War and assigned as a hurricane forecaster in Miami. They sold their home in Rantoul and moved to Miami.
After David completed his tour of duty, they returned to Rantoul, where they were living when their second child, Scott, was born. On Jan. 1, 1954, they moved into their newly built home in Urbana, where their third child, Mark, was born in 1955. All three children attended Urbana public schools and graduated from Urbana High School.
In addition to being a wife, mother and homemaker, Barbara was active as a volunteer while the children were growing up, including with Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Sunday school, women's church groups, engineering wives groups, the Urbana Clothing Center, Empty Tomb, P.E.O. and with the Mercy Hospice program. After David retired, they were active in Youth With A Mission and travelled extensively. Barbara is currently a member of Twin City Bible Church, where she has served on the Missions Committee and the Shepherding Council.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband and her brother.
She is survived by her three children, Linda (Roger Wigen), Scott and Mark (Tomoko Hirose); three grandchildren, Nicky Dyal, Jonas (Janice) and Tessa (David Emery); and three great-grandchildren, Madeline, Collin and River.
Services are being held for Barbara on April 28 at 10:30 a.m. at Morgan Memorial Home, Savoy. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Brenton Cemetery, Piper City, at 1 p.m.
Published by The News-Gazette on Apr. 25, 2023.
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