Barbara Ruth Wisch

Barbara Wisch passed away on September 10, 2021, due to medical issues and complications. Known to her friends as Barbee, to her husband Jim, her mom Doris Nitz, and her dad Eddie Nitz as “your B”, and to her four loving grandkids as “Grandma B”, she was also loved and called Mom by her sons and almost everyone she met once they got to know and appreciate her kindness and thoughtfulness.

Barb met Jim, the love of her life, in the town Odessa in western Minnesota where they were both born. Her parents Eddie and Doris Nitz operated Eddie’s Green and White Market in Odessa and moved the family to Ortonville to a house on Big Stone Lake.

Barb and Jim were married on March 8, 1964, and then followed Jim’s work with the Milwaukee Railroad eventually to Minneapolis. In 1975 they relocated with their three children Jason, Jeff, and Joey to Phoenix where the two of them started a business.

Jim and Barb founded and owned Western Railroad Services company, where Barb functioned not only as the payroll/finance/HR departments but also as the main contact with the company’s trusted legal and accounting professionals. Barb had worked for a few years in the Big Stone County and Ortonville City clerks’ offices, and she used this business and office experience to help keep Jim out bidding for and completing sub-contractor work mainly on large light rail projects (San Diego, San Jose, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Sacramento, and in Atlanta).

When not running the business Barb kept track of three very active sons, helped in classrooms at Arroyo School and Moon Valley High School, and donated her time to the American Cancer Society and other local outreach causes including homeless and women’s’ shelters through her church.

Barb’s house was always the place to be for family, local friends and friends from MN, neighbors, year-end parties for her sons’ classes or teams, and of course for summer pool or hangout days. If Barb was from a later generation her social media “friends” list would have been in the thousands – many close or distant friends and acquaintances have mentioned that Barb was the one person other than immediate family that would always send a birthday card or other remembrance on important days. Barb’s loss will be felt across the country.

In later years Barb spent her time staying close to family and friends, visiting CA for her grandsons’ events, participating in her granddaughters’ dance and other activities, or having visitors for games of pinochle and Yahtzee. Barb had a cat named Bert that was a companion and was loved dearly.

Barb is survived by and will be eternally missed by her sons Jason and Joey, her daughter-in-law Mary, her grandchildren Adrien, Peyton, Brooklyn, and Alexy. Love you Mom!