Barbara Ellen Foard (Curlee) Van Slooten

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm Friday, May 9, 2025, at McEwen Funeral Service-Mint Hill Chapel in Mint Hill, North Carolina, with a visitation following. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 am Friday, May 16, 2025, at Dunmyer Cemetery in Salix, Pennsylvania.

Barbara Ellen was born in Matthews, North Carolina, to the late Grant Stegall Foard and Onie Spears Foard. She is survived by her husband of 22 years, James M. Van Slooten of Midland, North Carolina; a son, Larry James Curlee, Jr. of Matthews, North Carolina; and a daughter, Leslie Lynn Bennett. She is also survived by an older brother, George Foard of Charlotte, North Carolina; a younger sister, Deane Rutledge of Georgia; and a younger brother, Joe Lee Foard of Texas. She is survived by many grandchildren and great grandchildren, nieces and nephews, of whom she had always wished she could have been able to spend more time with them. She would always talk lovingly about all of them whenever an opportunity came up.

At a young age, Barbara Ellen worked at the Biltmore Dairy Bar in Park Road Shopping Center in Charlotte. Barbara Ellen graduated from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte in 1960, and attended several college courses before starting a career with Carolinas Telco Credit Union, while raising two children. She retired after many years at Carolinas Telco to spend time with a special friend who needed medical assistance. After his passing, she returned to the working world at State Employees Credit Union, wherever she was needed in the area. She ended up working at the Mint Hill Branch of the SECU, where she met her soon to be husband, James M. Van Slooten, and shortly after retired from SECU. She continued working, this time with Tel-Net Technologies, Inc. as co-owner and office manager.

After marrying James, they settled down in Midland to enjoy the more rural life that she grew up in. After retiring, she spent time researching her family history mostly through old newspaper clippings, etc. She enjoyed working with her flower gardens, especially with her rose bushes that were inherited from her grandmother. They both enjoyed travelling, and in particular the Gulf Coast of Florida, as well as the mountains of Western Pennsylvania and Western New York State. She loved watching John Wayne movies, and has seen all of them multiple times. She also very much enjoyed watching Randolph Scott, who was her second cousin. She would always say, “There is my Daddy. He looks just like him.”

Her smile and happy attitude will definitely be missed by all.