April 21, 1941 ~ March 31, 2020
Barbara Jean Dunbar (née Steele), age 78, passed away peacefully at her home on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.
Barbara was born on April 21, 1941, in Delta, Utah, to LeRoy and Dorothy Steele, the second of seven children. She graduated from Delta High School in 1959 and attended the College of Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah, before moving to Boulder City, Nevada, in 1960 when her parents purchased the Frosty Freeze. While working there for her parents, she met “John the mailman” and married John Barlow shortly after. Together, they had two children, Julie and John. Later, she married Leo Dunbar in 1981, and together they ran the Central Market in Boulder City and later owned a 7-11 franchise in Las Vegas.
Upon the sale of their 7-11, they retired back to Boulder City, where they would spend the rest of their lives. Barbara is survived by her siblings, Billie Rae Rowley, Karyl Lambert, Richard (Joanne) Steele, Kaye Steele, and Kathy (Gary) Amrine; children, Julie (Robert) Murray and John (Pamela) Barlow; step-children, DeAnn Dunbar and Jeff (Gloria) Dunbar; grandchildren, Mitchell (Seretta) Barlow, Ashley (Kolby) Robinson, Torrey (Landon) Moyes, Melanie O’Connor, Whitney (Jeff) Cox, Aidan Murray, and Clairese Murray; step-grandchildren, Amber Fairchild, Randy Fairchild, Joel Dunbar, Beau Dunbar, Jeremy Dunbar, and Chris Fairchild; and 16 great-grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren. Barbara is preceded in death by her parents, LeRoy Steele and Dorothy Steele McCollum, sister, Karla Steele, and husband, Leo Dunbar.
Barbara loved riding horses and motorcycles, playing cards and games with family (Hand and Foot and Pinochle were her favorites), putting together puzzles, the color red, and most of all, her beloved Dodgers. She loved company and opened her home to many family members throughout the years. Finally, she never left her home without looking her best, a quality that she instilled in her children and grandchildren.
A viewing will take place at Palm Mortuary, 800 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, Nevada, on April 9, 2020, between 10 and 11:30 a.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in place, only ten people at a time will be allowed into the viewing. Directly following, a graveside service with immediate family members only will take place at the So. Nevada Veterans Cemetery at 12 p.m. Others who wish to be there may stand back along the perimeter, again due to COVIC-19 restrictions in place.
Those who cannot attend can watch the viewing live by visiting the Palm Boulder Highway Mortuary Facebook page between 10 and 11 a.m.
