Barbara Louise (Funkhouser) Emmert

Barbara Louise Emmert, age 93 of Mishawaka, went to be with the Lord on Friday morning, August 20, 2021.  Barb was born April 22, 1928, in Terre Haute, Indiana.  She was preceded in death by her parents Fred and Jency (Funkhouser) Smith.  On August 11, 1945, she married Robert D. Emmert in Mishawaka, Indiana. They celebrated 70 years of marriage before Bob’s death in November of 2015.

Barb is survived by her children. Beverly (Tom) Hummer of Mishawaka, and Michael (Crystelle) Emmert of Granger, her son-in-law LeRoy Preston of Constantine, Michigan and her grandchildren, Rebekah Wachs, Trisha Taylor, Katelynn Perigo, Jill Hummer, Brooke Hummer, Robert Hummer, Kellie DeMeyer, Jill Scheibelhut and Erin Stears, 14 great grandchildren and her best friend Shirley Drinkall.  She was preceded in death by her daughter Peggy Preston in February of 2020 and her siblings James, Charles, Douglas and Richard Smith and Jean Ellen Austin.

Visitation will be held from 4-7 pm Tuesday, August 24, 2021, at Cruz Family Funeral Home in Osceola.  There will also be one hour of visitation prior to the 11:00 am funeral service on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, at the Osceola United Methodist Church, 431 N. Beech Road, Osceola, Indiana.  Barbara will be laid to rest by her husband Bob at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens following the services.

Barb was a longtime member of the Osceola United Methodist Church where she faithfully participated in bible study groups for many years.  She served her family as a stay-at-home mom and was an excellent cook.  She enjoyed spending time gardening and canning fresh vegetables from her garden, spending time with her family on Donnell Lake in Michigan and vacations in Minnesota with her husband and children. Barb also enjoyed sewing, crocheting, crafting and working puzzles.  Later in her adult years, her artistic talents blossomed, and she found enjoyment coloring beautiful pages in adult coloring books.

Fiercely independent, Barbara continued to live at the home Bob built for her in Mishawaka.  The Emmert family wishes to extend a heartfelt thanks to her neighbors Ed and Michelle Griesinger and Aaron Maust for helping Barb with the upkeep of the lawn, making sure snow was shoveled, and that groceries were always picked up and delivered to her home.

In her memory, donations may be made in her memory to the Osceola United Methodist Church.  To leave a message of comfort for the Emmert family, light a virtual candle in Barb’s memory, or share a story of her life, please follow the links provided on the tribute wall above.