Barbara J. Pepper, age 84, a longtime Janesville resident, passed away peacefully at St. Elizabeth's Home Janesville on Saturday August 28th. She was born on Father's Day, June 20, 1937 in Hawarden, Iowa. Barbara was the oldest of four daughters to the late Lowell & Marjorie (Steele) Graves. Barbara attended 15 schools before the 8th grade before returning to Logan Consolidated School in SD and graduated 2nd in a class of 5. Barbara attended South Dakota State College before she transferred and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Home Economics Education with a minor in general science. A few years later she received her Master's degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Illinois University and years later earned a Master's degree in Elementary Library Science from the University of Whitewater Wisconsin. During her summers, Barbara worked at Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills SD. Barbara taught at many of the Janesville schools including Jackson Elementary School. She was also employed by Senior Services. Barbara loved visiting family and friends including trips to Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah. She always had a cat companion including three strays that adopted her! Barbara was an active member of Cargill United Methodist Church where she was involved in many Bible studies and found many of her closest friends. She loved reading, gardening, needlepoint, quilting and crocheting. She is survived by her children David M. (Anna) Hanson of Spanish Fork, UT and Carole (Mitchell) Rand of Guilford, CT; step- sons David (Nancy) Pepper and DuWayne (Cheryl) Pepper both of Janesville; her sisters Diane (Frank) Mulnix of Phoenix, AZ and Linda (Tom) Patsey of Florissant, CO; her 8 grandchildren Ariel (Preston) Higgs, Makayla Hanson, Amy Rand, Emma Rand, Brandon Pepper, Kyle Jay, Keith Pepper, JaNay Pepper; her great-grandchildren Hannah Higgs, Noah Higgs, Gabriel Higgs and Vivian Higgs and by nieces, nephews, cousins. She was preceded in death by her sister Marilyn, her parents and her husband Wayne. Services to celebrate Barbara's life will be scheduled for early July 2022 followed by burial at Bethel Cemetery.
Final Resting Place
Bethel Cemetery
W. Cty. Hwy. A
Center Twsp., WI