It’s been two months since we said our final goodbye, Mom. That’s longer than the time from your diagnosis until you were taken from us. I now understand what it means to carry someone with you after they have passed. I ache with how much I miss you, but I feel you with me every day. I hear what you would say to me when I’m having a difficult day and I hear you encouraging me when I’m sad. I’d give anything to have you here to talk to, but am learning to hear you in my heart. I hate having to adjust to living in a world without you but know it’s what we need to do. I love you and miss you.

Great memories. As we all talked about before the Lifesaver candy books!!!

Going to miss my sweet Aunt Barb. I never remember a time that Barb was anything but kind. You set a great example of how to live a life filled with joy.

Barb and I met as teen agers and essentially grew up together. she never drove and I was 3 years older so I felt I was taking care of her. It turns out Barb was actually taking care of me.
She was my communicator , my chef, my house cleaner clothes washer financial agent, concierge and more. She had everythig scheduled on the calender on the fridge and frequently had the remind me of upcoming appointments. Barb checked every receipt against the credit card bill for accuracy. Almost daily she would leaf thru her recioe file for dinner ideas
Some how we made it all work and shared love and happiness for 69 years.
And now she is my guarian angelin heaven.

I wanted to tell you a few things that Mom taught me in her last two months. I feel like I learned a lot. I learned that I could pack up and leave my home with a half-day’s notice, not knowing when I might come back, and somehow manage to do it and somehow have an even stronger marriage through the time away.
I learned that sometimes the bravest decision a person can make is to decide not to fight. When Mom decided to come home without having the treatments to try to fight her cancer, she set the terms for her final days. And everything went exactly as she hoped – she was able to say “goodbye” to those she loved and she had her family with her.
I learned how physically and emotionally strong my dad and brother are. They were and still are amazing to me. We didn’t always feel like we knew what we were doing, but we did it and we took good care of each other while getting through this.
I learned that small things are really the only things that matter, and the small things are what leave the biggest memories. Mom talked a lot about how memories are all you have left at the end, and I am struck by how it is the little things that stick with you. When I remember my childhood, one of the first things I think about is playing double solitaire with Mom in the kitchen in the summertime. Sometimes it would be triple solitaire if Jim was around. We would be in the kitchen because it was always easier to cool the back of the apartment. We would be drinking iced tea or lemonade we made from a powdered mix and eating Doritos. I’d get up about every fifteen minutes to flip the album playing from my bedroom – usually Elton John. And we would talk about nothing.
Our conversations about nothing continued all the way up to the end, switching to telephone after I moved far away. Sharing the little nothing-ness of our days was everything.  And I miss it and miss her every minute.
I’ll end the way every phone conversation ended – “Love you too, Mom, Bye”.

Barb left a lasting impression I could never forget.  Barb and her husband were once neighbors of my grandparents in Chicago.  They had not seen each other in something like 50 years and Barb had the class to show up and introduce herself at my Grandmother's funeral.  My Grandpa in his grief at the time recognized them walking over to the service.  It brought me such a sense of love meeting Barb and talking for those few minutes.  She was a beautiful person who I have been lucky enough to hear about through her sweet niece and coincidentally my long time friend Kim Meyers.  May Barb's memory be a continued blessing.

Thank you Barbara for your friendship. We only met once when you were visiting your aunties and some cousins here in Sweden. Think that was in 1955.  30 years later we became penpals and  then emails were sent across the world first to Australia and the last 7 years back to Sweden. I was hoping that we could meet up again one day but didn't realized we all are getting older and not so mobiles any longer.
'thank you again being a wonderful caring person and I will miss you very much. 
God bless and Rest in Peace.  
Witn love Ingrid Blanch

She was a sweet neighbor. Always had a smile and kind word. May God comfort Tom and her family.

My deepest sympathies to Barb's family.  We were two Barb's that lived next door to each other in Del Webb.  I moved away but we always kept in touch.  Then I moved back to Del Webb and we would get together for breakfast or lunch for some girl chat time.   How we loved to chat about our lives and families.  Barb, you will truly be missed.  You were an Angel and had the biggest heart.  Your smile tells it all, what a wonderful lady.  Love and miss you Barb.

OBITUARY

Barbara Erickson Blomgren

30 September, 1941 – 8 October, 2025

Drake & Son Funeral Home

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