Barb A. (Tyo) Hendricks

Leetonia- Barbara Ann “Barb” Tyo Hendricks, age 76, passed away Tuesday morning, July 30, 2019, surrounded by family at Windsor House at Omni West Assisted Living Residence in Youngstown.

She was born December 30, 1942 in Ravenna, Ohio, the oldest child of James and Vera (Mount) Tyo.  She attended school in Austintown through tenth grade, graduated from Greenford High School in 1960, attended Kent State University for her freshman year and then Youngstown University, graduating with a degree in education in 1964.  She married her high school sweetheart, Robert K. Hendricks, in November 1963.  They lived in New Jersey and Wisconsin before returning to Ohio.  Barb was an elementary school teacher, with a particular focus on strengthening students’ reading skills, most recently in the Salem Ohio school district.  

After her third child was born, she focused on raising her kids and worked with various family businesses.  Barb served for several years as a member for the Board of Trustees Leetonia Community Public Library Board and enjoyed being able from her home on Chestnut Street to oversee the building of the library’s new facility in the late 2000s.  She also pursued her interest in genealogy and history with travel, including throughout the United States and to Wales, England and Ireland.  One of her most adventurous outings involved taking a float plane to the Katmai National Park in Alaska to spend a day viewing grizzly bears at close range.  In recent years, she enjoyed an expedition following the route of Lewis and Clark from Missouri to Oregon and a trip to Israel during which she saw many Holy Land sites.

Barb very much enjoyed being a grandmother and gave generously of her time and heart to each of her six grandchildren, including spending several weeks a year visiting her daughter and grandchildren who live in California.  Barb put a lot of energy and love into making birthdays and holidays fun and memorable events for everyone in her family.

Recently, Barb felt the impact of dementia.  Her family appreciate the kindness and experience of the hard-working staff at Windsor House/Omni West, who delighted in both Barb’s gentle soul and her occasional “snippiness” when they addressed her as “Barbara” instead of “Barb.”

She was preceded in death by her parents, Vera and James Tyo, and by her parents-in-law, Mildred (Knopp) Hendricks and Raymond Hendricks.

She leaves behind her children and grandchildren - Richard and Marci Hendricks of Leetonia, Ohio and their two children, Andrew and Rylee; Robert and Amy Hendricks of Canfield, Ohio and their two children, Annie and Elle; and Sharon Hendricks of Mountain View, California and her two children, Rumi and Lucy – as well as her former spouse, Robert Hendricks of Leetonia, Ohio, and her siblings – Karen Rich of Canfield, Dave Tyo of Salem and Rick Tyo of Chandler, AZ.

The family will hold a memorial service for Barb on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. at the Woods-Rettig Funeral Home, Leetonia with Pastor Lock P. Beachum Jr. officiating.

The family will receive friends an hour and a half prior to the service, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the funeral home on Saturday.

Barb will be laid to rest with her parents at Dean Hill Cemetery in Canfield.

An online memorial site has been created at ForeverMissed.com, https://www.forevermissed.com/barb-a-hendricks/#about.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Leetonia Community Public Library http://www.leetonialibrary.org/donations.php.

Family and friends may view this obituary and send condolences at www.familycareservices.com