Barbara Ann Troutner

Barbara Ann Troutner, 93, passed away peacefully in hospice care on February 21st, 2023. She was born Sept. 8th, 1929 in Kansas City, MO to James Daniel Goulding and Vera Coriene Stewart. She graduated from Westport High School in Kansas City in 1946. She married her high school sweetheart, Jack Walter Long, on January 28th, 1949. They had four children - Mike, Pat, Linda, and Jim. The family had many happy years taking family vacations, camping, fun times at the lake on the houseboat and the ski boat, and taking trips on the small planes that Jack flew. They were active members of University Baptist Church with involvement in the youth group, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and other volunteer opportunities, where Barbara established life-long friendships. Barbara and Jack divorced in 1973. At that time, she became a secretary and enjoyed many working relationships and friendships. She met her second husband, Earl Troutner, through the singles group at Christ United Methodist Church and they spent many happy years together at their house, built by Earl, overlooking Lake Keystone. During their retirement years they lived in Arkansas, Colorado, and Florida. Earl was a hard worker, a great storyteller, and a very funny guy. They loved their trips to Alaska. They found the log cabin that Earl had built when he lived there as a young man, still standing, and opened as a bar. Barbara cared for Earl for many years after his diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. He could not have found a better caretaker during those difficult years. He died in 2011, and she moved back to Tulsa to be close to family. She established a very contented and cozy life in a small apartment here in Tulsa where she wanted to live out the rest of her life, and she did. She loved her flowers and sat out on her little screened in porch with her cat, Harley, and visited with everyone who walked by. Everyone loved her and appreciated her positivity and interest in their lives. Friends and family were the most important things in Barbara's life. She stayed connected to lifelong friends and cherished her relationships with people. She was always a force for positivity and finding the good or, at the very least, the opportunity for growth in any situation. She described herself as a Pollyanna. She faced many obstacles and sorrows in her life, including the loss of two sons, Jim and Pat, with grace, strength, and a view to the future. She set a great example for those around her in living life and aging well. She loved lunch with friends, book clubs, card games, and she beat her friends at dominoes the week before her stroke. She loved birthdays and holidays, creating homemade cards on her computer with pictures and poems specific to the person and occasion. Barbara loved to hear her kids play music and was their biggest fan from the years of band practice at the house in their teens to playing at her 93rd birthday party this year. Most of Barbara's family lived here in Tulsa. Pat's daughters and their families live in Nashville and made a special trip to spend some time here just a few weeks ago so Barbara and Jack could both see their great-grandchildren. The family will always be grateful for this time that we spent together. Barbara was preceded in death by: sons, James Robert Long, and Patrick Steven Long; husband, Earl Arthur Troutner; first husband, Jack Walter Long. She is survived by son, Mike Long and his wife, Nancy of Tulsa; daughter, Linda Barton and her husband, George of Tulsa; grandchildren, Nick Barton, Jackson Barton, Jacob Long, Cassie Anderson, and Oliva Padilla; great grandchildren, Kinsley, Cara Grace, and Carson. Donations may be made in Barbara's name to the Democratic Party or to Clare House, where she was cared for with grace and dignity during her final days. A memorial service is pending.

Barbara Ann Troutner

September 8, 1929 - February 21, 2023