Barbara L Smalley

Barbara Lou (Wiens) Smalley was born June 9, 1936, and passed away on July 14, 2024, at the age of 88.

She was born in Whitewater, Kansas, to Gilbert David Wiens and Eunice Adelia (Hash) Wiens. Born the fourth of eleven children, family was always important to Barb. She attended school in Whitewater and graduated in 1954. After graduation she worked as an operator for Southwestern Bell Telephone.

She met Norman Smalley on a blind date and the rest was history. They married November 6, 1955, at the Whitewater Federated Church.

They moved to Greenville, Texas, and shortly after that they moved to Morrisville, Indiana. Two years later they welcomed daughter Marcelle Lauren and two years after that son Jack Eugene to the family.

The family moved around some before settling in Falun, Kansas. There they were joined by their best friends Jim and Winnie Lutes who had been their next-door neighbors in Morrisville. While there they learned to square dance and enjoyed raising all sorts of farm animals.

In 1971, they moved to Salina to open the first of two Dairy Queen Braizer stores, which quickly became a family affair with Barb managing the South store while Norman managed the North store, and Marcy and Jack working alongside them. Barbara loved working with all the high school aged employees through the years, and considered all of them as a part of her extended family. They sold the last Dairy Queen in 1992 and retired to Whitewater.

Barb enjoyed spending time with her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and her extended family and friends. She also loved to travel, with San Diego, California, being one of her favorite places.

Barbara is survived by her husband of 69 years, Norman Smalley, her daughter Marcy Smalley, son Jack (Annette) Smalley; granddaughters, Taylor (Aaron) Moon, Jordan Bickford, and Megan (Thomas Flanagan) Smalley; great granddaughters Ava Moon, Aadan Blair, and Elliot Blair; great grandsons William Moon and Nicholas Moon; sisters Shirley (Gene) Atwood, Teresa Alcorn; brother Randy (Kim) Wiens; and brothers-in-law Robert Brunn, David Ulbrich, and Dave Silbernagel.

She is preceded in death by her parents Gilbert and Eunice Wiens; brothers, Mert Wiens, Charlie Wiens and Gilbert Alan (Icky) Wiens; sisters, Beverly (Robert) Green, Gayle Brunn, Sandra Sue Ulbrich, and Jodi Silbernagel; granddaughter Morgan Smalley; and infant son Andrew Smalley.