Barbara Jo Bender
Barbara Jo Bender (née Stump) passed away on April 11, 2025 in Boise, Idaho.
Barb was born on October 11, 1941 in Portland, Oregon, but her parents soon returned to the Yakima Valley, which Barb’s family had called home since the late nineteenth century.
Barb graduated from Grandview High School in 1960 and attended Washington State University for one year. In 1961, with $40 in her pocket, Barb moved across the country to be with her junior high school sweetheart and lifelong love, John, who was attending the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The two married on June 6, 1963 in a service at the Naval Academy chapel.
Following John’s tours of service in Vietnam, Barb and John returned west, first to Washington and then to Idaho. In 1994, Barb completed her undergraduate degree, graduating from Boise State University (BSU) with honors. Three years later, she earned an MA in English from BSU, having written a thesis on Emily Dickinson’s Fascicle 18.
Throughout her life, Barb was an avid reader of everything, including poetry, mysteries, and classics. When not reading, she loved to be outdoors—gardening, golfing, sipping coffee, or walking the Greenbelt with one of her beloved golden retrievers. She was also actively involved in the Boise community, especially the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the Hillcrest Ladies Golf Association. She prioritized her family above all else.
Barb was a devoted wife to John and an incredible mother to their three children, always supportive of and genuinely interested in their ideas, activities, and passions. In the evenings, Barb and John would sit down with a glass of wine to discuss the day—when the children were young this was “Mom and Dad’s time,” but as the children grew older, moved away, and returned home, this became a cherished tradition and an important time to reconnect as a family.
John predeceased Barb by six days.
Barb is survived by her son, Jason Bender; her daughter, Jennifer Trople; her daughter, Jill Bender; her son-in-law, Adam Winkel; her grandson, Colin Bender; her sisters, Mary Anderson and Corky Holloway; and numerous nieces, nephews, and in-laws.
Barbara is and always will be tremendously missed by many.
Memorial services will be held at a later date.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Barb’s memorial webpage at www.bowmanfuneral.com .
The family encourages any donations to be made toward the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Boise Philharmonic, Idaho Youth Ranch, or the English Literature department at BSU.
“That I shall love always –
I argue thee
That love is life –
And life hath Immortality.”
~ Emily Dickinson