Barbara Ann Hobbs-Stevens, age 81, of Lucasville, OH, peacefully passed from this life at SOMC Hospice, on September 4th, 2025 at 4:40 pm, after a short battle with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. She joyfully ran into the arms of her loving Savior while being prayed over and sung to by her family. With one last breath, her race was completed and she won her crown in glory. Barb was born July 26th, 1944 in Lewis County, KY to James Arthur Hobbs Sr and Daisy Francis Hamlin-Hobbs. Barb grew up loving and caring for her 12 other siblings, raised 4 biological children of her own, and had her hand in raising all of her grandchildren, and loving her greatgrandchildren.
She never met a person that she did not love and was Aunt Barb or Mamaw Barb to many family members, biological and chosen, and that legacy of love stretches across the United States from an army base in Colorado, to the Appalachia we live in, to the East Coast and down through Alabama, all the way to the Florida Gulf Coast.
Barb attended Northwest High School and obtained her GED in 2001 and formerly worked at Bear Creek Cash and Carry and Edgewood Manor. She attended Outreach Ministries Church of Lucasville, Hills Chapel Church in Otway, and even Union Hills Baptist of Cottonwood, AL.
Barb will be remembered for her love of Jesus, for taking her children and grandchildren to church, for lasagna and carrot cake, for Japanese Cherry Blossom and Moonlight Path, for knickknacks and Christmas decorations, strawberry banana milkshakes with a scoop of malt, French fries with cheese, French vanilla coffee creamer and the search for the perfect donut, for her love of birds and bunnies and animals of all kinds, for her green thumb and flowers, for Saturday morning pancakes and yard sales, for fierce card games, cheesy romantic suspense novels, late night movies, Kroger coupons, and always, always, always showing up for her “people” when it mattered the most. Her presence will be missed but we live with the knowledge and promise that we can see her again and we will be reunited.
Barb is survived by her brothers: Don (Carolyn) Hobbs and Randy (Nan) Hobbs, both of Lucasville; Will (Lita) Hobbs of Cottonwood, AL, sisters: Sue (Jim) Throckmorton of Lucasville and Nancy Zickgraf of Hillsboro. She is also survived by her sons: Rick Ellis and Ed Ellis of Lucasville and daughters Anna Stevens of Lucasville and Mary Morgan of Newark, OH; the loves of her life, her grandchildren: Jessica Ellis and Rickey (Monica) Ellis of Lucasville, Andrew Ellis of Waverly, Brittany (Ethan) Tolle of Minford, Nichole Ellis of New Boston, Peyton Brumfield of Navarre, FL and Willow Brumfield of Pansey, AL.
Her legacy also carries on in her greatgrandchildren: Hunter, Jace, Mija Lynn, Teo, Gabriel, Henry, Hazel Jane, Iyla Quinn, Bodie Chad, and one sweet baby on the way. She is also survived by a plethora of first, second, and third generational nieces and nephews, many whom she loved like her own, who have sat on her lap to be rocked to sleep, or sat at her table to be fed in body and spirit.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Darrell in 2001, her parents James and Daisy, a sister, Carol, brothers Roger, James (Junior), Michael (Mike), Ronald, Larry, and David, and 2 greatgrandchildren born sleeping.
Our hearts rejoice knowing she is reunited with many of her loved ones once again and we are comforted by the impact she has had on so many.
She was well-loved and loved well. Barb’s end-of-life wishes are being handled by Botkin-Hornback Funeral Home of Otway and per her request, no funeral services are to be held. A celebration of Life will be held in October with location and time to be determined and announced at a later date.
The family would like to thank SOMC Hospice for the care and compassion shown in Barb’s final days, and the Brittany Bolton team at Northwest Family Practice for always being a message away when anything was needed on any day at any time. Donations may be made to Botkin-Hornback funeral home to offset cost, Sierra’s Haven to help orphaned animals find a home, or the family encourages you to pay it forward and love like Barb did and have a milkshake or donut with your own family or do something just for the joy of togetherness and do it “just because.”
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