Ione Arlene (Holmes) Barber

Ione Arlene (Holmes) Barber, age 88, of Pickford, Michigan, died at Freighter View Assisted Living in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on July 5, 2023. She was born in Northville, Michigan, on February 16, 1935, to Hiram Herman and Muriel Mae (McKeller) Holmes. Ione grew up in Northville and graduated from Northville High School with the Class of 1953. She attended Detroit Business School and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1957. She met William “Bill” Allen Barber while working at the local Drive-In Restaurant and they got married on December 26, 1957, in Northville. After Bill graduated, they moved to Pickford in 1958, with only a few dollars to their name. While raising their children, Ione worked alongside Bill at the Pickford Veterinarian Clinic as the office manager, bookkeeper, and veterinarian assistant for 32 years. They retired in 1990, when they sold the clinic to Dr. Clinton Groover. Ione was an active member of the bowling league in Sault Ste. Marie, the Pickford Women’s Golf League, the Red Hats Society, the Pickford Historical Museum, the Raber Sportsman Club in Raber, Michigan, and the Pickford Lions Club - where she was awarded the Melvin Jones Humanitarian Award on June 22, 2020. She volunteered, with Bill, for many years at the EUP Fair in the Miracle Life Pavilion. She was a huge supporter of the War Memorial Hospital Women’s Auxiliary and for over twenty years she was in charge of the War Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Annual flea market. Ione enjoyed fishing, boating, gardening flowers, and hunting, especially bow hunting. She loved spending her time outdoors and at the family cabin. Ione and Bill also helped rehabilitate many orphaned animals, including “Cubby” the bear and “Bambi” the deer. Ione is survived by her son, Vance (Mary) Barber of Pickford, Michigan; daughter, Jennifer (David) Forrest of Grand Rapids, Michigan; grandchildren, Jennifer K. Forrest, Jaiden (fiancé, Scott Lanz) Forrest, Morgan Barber, and William “Billy” Barber; great grandchildren, Owen Forrest, and Ethan Forrest; and sister, Mary Browning of New Hudson, Michigan. Ione was preceded in death by her parents, Hiram and Muriel; husband, William; brothers, Leroy Holmes and James “Gus” Holmes; and sisters, June Anne King and Gloria Cogar. Memorial Gathering will be held on Friday, August 4, 2023, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Galer Funeral Homes in Pickford, Michigan. Final Resting Place will be at the North Raber Cemetery in Raber, Michigan. Memorial Contributions can be made out to the Pickford Area Historical Museum, P.O. Box 572, Pickford, MI 49774, Women’s Auxiliary, 500 Osborn Blvd, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783, or the Pickford Lions Club, P.O. Box 242, Pickford, MI 49774. Condolences may be left to the family at www.galerfuneralhomes.com.

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Ione Arlene (Holmes) Barber

February 16, 1935 - July 5, 2023