Barbra C Tompkins

On Monday, March 6, 2023, Barbra Tompkins, beloved wife and mother of two children, passed away at the age of 77 in Merced, California. Barbra was born in Denver, Colorado to Edith and Herbert Stephens in 1945. She moved to Dayton, Ohio in 1965 and met and married John Tompkins in 1970. They were inseparable and loved each other for 53 years. They raised two children, Angela and Michael, in Columbus and Greenfield Ohio. Barbra and John moved to Maui, Hawai’i in 1998 and helped to raise their granddaughter, Evangeline. In 2012 Barbra and John retired to the central valley of California to be close to Michael, his late wife, Vong, and their son, Miles. Barbra was known as Kiki to her grandchildren and she was a guiding and loving presence in their lives.

Barbra was passionate about helping people and volunteered throughout her life with her church, veterans organizations, AIDS hospice, and various homeless organizations. Barbra never met a stranger and built relationships with many people from many walks of life. One of her biggest gifts was a huge heart that welcomed everyone. She had many friends and she loved them all dearly.

Barbra had a special affinity with animals and especially adored her cats. At many times in her life there were more cats than people in their home.

Barbra was an artist who enjoyed nothing more than sketching in her art room while watching the hummingbirds visit. She was an avid reader and enjoyed big band music and jazz, but her favorite time of year was baseball season. She spent every summer evening watching the game and yelling at bad calls.

Barbra was preceded in death by her mother, Edith, her father, Herbert, and two brothers, Curtis and Steven. She is survived by her husband, John, her two children, Angi and Michael, their partners, Rob and Ashley, and her grandchildren, Evangeline and Miles. Barbra was also survived by her sister-in-laws, Jody Leeth and Sandy Tompkins and her brother-in-laws, Steve Tompkins and Danny Leeth. She also had many nieces and nephews that she loved dearly.

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome for these charities or the charity of your choice. Feeding America: www.feedingamerica.org, Salvation Army Merced, California: https://merced.salvationarmy.org/merced_corps/, and Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stratfordevansfunerals.com for the Tompkins family.