Barbara Jane Raveling

    Barbara Jane Raveling, the daughter of Earl and Joyce (Lindstrom) May was born on March 13, 1946, in Davenport, IA. She was raised and attended school there graduating from Davenport West High School in 1964. After graduation, she attended Drake University in Des Moines. She also met her future husband, David while in Des Moines. After a year of college, she moved back to Davenport and started working at the Rock Island Arsenal, a U.S. Army facility.

   On September 30, 1967, Barbara married David Raveling in Davenport. Following their marriage, the couple moved to Cedar Falls, IA, where David attended UNI. The couple eventually moved to the Raveling family farm in Peterson. Barb’s happiest day of her life was July 10, 1976, when their only child Anne was born. They spent most of their married life farming. In 1986, Barbara started working at the Spencer Hospital in patient accounts. She worked there for 22 years before retiring in 2008.

   Barbara was very active over the years in her church. While living in Peterson, she belonged to the First Congregational Church where she also taught Sunday School, and in Spencer, Hope Reformed. She was involved in the JayCees, and she was a volunteer with MOPS. She enjoyed golfing and being in the Ladies League at the Spencer Country Club as well as playing a lot of bridge with her friends. Fishing was also a passion, in which she always outperformed David on their South Dakota fishing trips. She was a big bowler back in the day. She absolutely loved spending time with her grandchildren and attending their sporting events, she was also a big supporter of Spencer Athletics. Over the years, Barbara and David enjoyed their time traveling and spending time with their lifelong friends, Marcia and Chuck Hays of Bettendorf.

   She passed away on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at the Spencer Post Acute Rehab Center, at the age of 79. She was preceded in death by her father; her mother and stepfather, Orville Stout; her sister, Judy Carpenter and nephew, Craig Carpenter.

   Left to cherish her memory are her husband, David of Spencer; her daughter, Anne Johnson and her husband, Ryan of Spencer, IA; her grandchildren: Alexa Johnson, Evan Johnson and Dylan Johnson; nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.

 In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Spencer Hospital Foundation.