Barbara Jean Hougardy

Barbara Jean (Jordan) Hougardy was born June 1, 1934 in Livingston, Montana to Ben and Verda (Embry) Jordan. She lived in Bozeman, MT through elementary school, and afterwards her family moved to Laurel, MT where she graduated from Laurel High School in 1953.

Barbara entered Montana State University in the fall of 1953 as a physics major, becoming the first female physics student in the University’s history. There, she met her future husband, Robert (Bob) Wayne Hougardy, a third-year physics student from Roundup, MT. They married each other on June 19, 1955 and soon moved to Los Angeles, California for Bob to continue his graduate studies at UCLA.

Bob and Barb had four children born to them: Ronald, Deborah, Derron, and Gary. After raising her family and making sure they all graduated college, she went back to college to complete her physics degree at California State University Northridge, received a California State Teacher’s Certificate, and became an educator teaching science at Francis Polytechnic High School.

Barbara was also a gifted musician, artist, and photographer. In line with her education in physics, she had a passion for astronomy. She studied the universe, which she considered proof of the existence and glory of God, and held a particular interest the solar eclipse. After their retirement, she and Bob travelled the world chasing total solar eclipses, always packing cameras and telescopes. These adventures took them from Aruba to Zanzibar with stops in the Sahara Desert, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Iwo Jima, and also to the Great Wall of China.

Barbara is preceded by her parents Ben and Verda, sisters Joyce and Phyllis, and her beloved son Derron. She is survived by her husband Bob, her daughter Debbie, her sons Ron and Gary, her daughters-in-law Marilyn and Cynthia, eight grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.