Barba Jean Duvall

Barba Jean Duvall, the only daughter of Lawrence Chris and Blanche Pauline (Carter) Larsen, was born August 24, 1924 on a farm in McLeod County north of Hutchinson, Minnesota, and died January 23, 2021 at her home in Audubon, Iowa at the age of 96 years, 4 months, and 29 days. In 1930 the family moved to Audubon County.

Barba Jean attended Audubon County rural schools then attended the Audubon High School where she took Normal Training and graduated with the High School Class of 1942 with a Teaching Certificate. She taught in rural Audubon County Schools for two years at Greeley #4 and at Hamlin #3.

On June 18, 1944, she was united in marriage to Donald Ralph Duvall on her parents’ home lawn near Hamlin, Iowa. They were blessed with four children: Carole Jean, Lois Joan, Diane Lynette, and Steven Donald. Barba Jean and Don rented Don’s mother’s farm where they grew row crops and raised livestock. Barba Jean helped Don farm and then taught rural school at Melville #3 from 1949-1951. In January of 1956, they had a farm sale and moved to Urbandale, Iowa, where Don drove truck. Later, in 1958, they purchased their first semi-tractor. During this time, Barba Jean baby sat, worked as a grocery cashier, and helped in the Blackhurst School lunchroom during the 1964-1965 schoolyear.

In August of 1965, they moved to Waterloo, Iowa. Barba Jean worked part-time in the school lunchroom but spent most of her time raising her children. Starting in 1969, Barba Jean worked for more than four years at Mary Lester’s Fabrics in Waterloo. She loved her job because she had always loved sewing and had made many of the children’s clothing. They sold their home in Waterloo in June of 1974 and returned to Audubon County, where they lived in her father’s home in Hamlin Township. In 1977, they built a new home two miles west of Hamlin, Iowa. In October of 1977, Barba Jean received her trucking license and drove with Don part-time until he retired. She had always done the bookwork for the business. On November 22, 1991, Don retired from trucking. Barba Jean and Don celebrated their Golden Anniversary at the Ross Calvary United Methodist Church on July 10, 1994. Don died March 9, 1996. Barba Jean lived on their acreage until she purchased her present home in Audubon in August of 1996.

Barba Jean and Don were members of the Westover Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1989, Barba Jean became an active member of the Ross Calvary United Methodist Church in Ross, Iowa and was a member of the Mehnert Circle. She was a member of the Audubon County Historical Society and the Audubon County Genealogy Society. Barba Jean served on the board and volunteered at Caring and Sharing in Audubon. She loved to sew and raise plants and flowers both inside and outdoors -- her specialty was raising African Violets.

Barba Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Donald R. Duvall; her parents; her brothers: Lyle and wife Joan Larsen, Edwin Larsen, and Donald and wife Ruth Larsen; her sisters-in-law, Edna and husband Emmanuel Christensen and Rose Larsen; and her niece, Lucille Larsen.

Survivors include her children: Carole Jean Duvall of Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia; Lois Brownell of Ankeny, Iowa; Diane and husband Darwin Rattenborg of Audubon, Iowa; and Steven Duvall of Audubon, Iowa; her grandchildren, Nissa and husband Doug Rink of Ankeny, Iowa, and Jason Brownell of Des Moines, Iowa; her great-grandson Lucas Rink of Ankeny, Iowa; as well as nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 10:30 A.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, Iowa with Pastor Lori Shannon officiating. Interment will be in the Arlington Heights Cemetery in Audubon. There will be an open viewing on Friday, January 29, 2021 from 9:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon. The family will not be present for the viewing. Honorary casket bearer will be Lucas Rink. Casket bearers will be Steven Duvall, Darwin Rattenborg, Jason Brownell, Doug Rink, Lynn Larsen, and Keith Crowe. Masks will be required for attendance at both events.

Barba Jean's funeral service will be livestreamed on KESSLER FUNERAL HOMES INC. Facebook page. You will need a Facebook account to view the service. To get to our Facebook page, you may scroll to the bottom of our homepage at www.kesslerfuneralhomes.com, and click the Facebook logo to be taken directly there. 2-3 minutes prior to the service start, the video will appear in the timeline.
PLEASE NOTE: you will not find the video feed prior to the start of the service, so please refresh the page to see the video at 11:00. If you experience difficulties viewing the broadcast at the time of the service, the recording will remain on our Facebook page for additional viewing opportunities.