COURTOIS, Barbara Jean (Britain) - b. May 3, 1951 - d. March 29, 2021

[patyrn]

Barbara Jean Courtois ran into her Lord's arms on March 29, 2021 at Winfield Senior Community Center, ending her battle with cancer.  She was born on May 3, 1951 at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming to Clifford and Ivah (Dewey) Britain.  She was the youngest of five children.

Barbara's dad was active United States Air Force during her elementary school years.  Therefore, she attended grade schools in California, Texas, Colorado, and Idaho.  Junior high and high school were spent in Idaho and Wyoming with Barbara graduating from Evanston High School in Evanston, Wyoming in 1969.  She attended Bible Baptist College in Springfield, Missouri for a few years and completed training in the medical field.  This led her to working in health care until she was hired at Cessna, devoting 13 years of her career as an upholsterer of airplanes, a job that fulfilled her life.

Barbara was loved for her quick wit and infectious laugh, her teasing smile, her love for her Lord Jesus Christ, her family, and her dog, Teddy.  We can never forget Barb's teddy bear and salt and pepper collections that graced her living room.  Barb loved crafting, making fleece blankets, embroidering, making latch hook rugs, and completing word search puzzles.  Country music, especially Southern Gospel, often filled her home.

Barbara's greatsest friend and companion was her sister, Marilyn.  They could tell you each others' thoughts, shared laughter, adventures to Dollar General, and walked each other through illness, joy, and heartache.  Barbara and Marilyn are once again together worshiping before their Savior's throne. 

Barbara is survived by her sister, Patty (James) Alexander.  She was blessed with a nephew, Shane Courtois, whom she took into her home and raised as her own son during his teen years.  Her nieces and nephews enriched her life:  Deanna (Michael) Choens, Janice (John) Hensy, Sam (Jeff) Johnson, Michael (Bobbi) Bagley, and David Bagley.   She also is blessed with numerous great-nieces and great-nephews and a great-great-nephew.  If you took the time to know Barbara, you knew that she cherished each member of her church family at Howard Independent Baptist Church.  She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, Deborah Britain, Delbert Britain, and Marilyn Thompson.

Daughter, sister, aunt, fried, confidante, lover of life and people, and daughter of the one true King - Barbara, you are loved and missed.  See you on the other side.  Come soon, Lord Jesus!

A memorial service for Barbara will be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 1:00 p.,m. at the Howard Independent Baptist Church in Howard, Kansas.  Inurnment will follow in the Longton, Cemetery in Longton, Kasns.  Memorial donations in Barbara's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Howard Independent Baptist Church Mission Fund and can be mailed to or left with the funeral home.  Services have been entrusted to Countryside Funeral Home, 206 E. Washington, Howard, Kansas 67349.

(taken from the Countryside Funeral Home website)