Barbara Ann Koval (née Soderholm), our dear Wife, Mom, Sister, Grandmother (Grammy), and Great Grandmother, departed her loving family on December 9, 2020.

She is survived by her husband of 66 years Marcel Charles (Chick) Koval; her sister Karen Marie Griffin; her daughter Debra Louise Michalovsky (Marc), and their children, Matthew (Meghan) (children, William and Ana), and Ashley (Matthew) (children, Sadie and Gemma Mae); her son Douglas Charles Koval (Anne), and their children, Michelle and Michael; and her son Jeffrey Scott Koval (Amparo), and their children Marjorie (children, Oliver and Sonny), and Marydell.

Barbara is predeceased by her parents, Henry Arnold and Evelyn Louise Soderholm (née Andersen), and two brothers, Henry and Arthur Soderholm.

Barbara was born on January 12, 1932 to Henry and Evelyn in Brockton, Massachusetts. Barbara was a longtime resident of nearby Malden, Massachusetts where she attended high school. She was known as Sudsy due to her extremely blonde hair and was also known for her field hockey and her championship rifle shooting skills. Barbara met her husband Chick (Marcel) at Maplewood Baptist Church where they sang in the choir. They were married in that church on April 17, 1954.

Debbie was born in September 1955 while Chick was away serving in Okinawa with the US Army, an early example of Barbara's self-reliance and perseverance. Doug followed a year later and Jeff came in third in 1958. Apparently, that was enough as future years would prove it to be a wise decision due to the normal trials and tribulations that accompany kids!

After making various stops in Maine, Massachusetts and New York, Barbara and Chick settled in the Dallas, Texas area, where they have made their home for around 45 years. We don't think Barbara's former rifle shooting proclivity had any influence on that decision though!

Their sons, Doug and Jeff, followed them to Texas and still live close by. Debbie followed them down for a while but was not impressed with the charms of Texas and moved back up to the cold Northeast. Debbie and her husband Marc have now retired to beautiful Sunset, South Carolina.

For many of the years in Texas, the lakeside living at Lake Kiowa gave Barbara the ability to follow her enjoyment of the water, golf and other activities. She was always accompanied by one of her many cats and dogs over the years, but mainly by dogs once they settled in to Lake Kiowa.

Barbara especially enjoyed traveling the world with Chick. The list is long and seemingly endless, but includes the United States from Hawaii to Maine, Mexico, the Caribbean, Panama, South America, countries in Europe, the Baltics and the Holy Land, just to name a few.

Barbara and Chick made it a point to attend every family event and wedding they could over the years, whether or not it was in the budget. Their treasure trove of pictures to remember these by is priceless. Her devotion to family, no matter how distant, was remarkable.

She was an active volunteer for CASA (the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association for Children) for many years. She was also very involved in church activities, she loved to play bridge and mahjong, to watch Jeopardy with Chick, and was loved by all.

Somehow, along with these many other activities, Barbara worked for a number of years at Collins Radio, a division of Rockwell International, in Richardson, Texas.

As her children, we want to express our feelings for Barbara (Mom) and what she has meant to our families.  Her warmth and generosity have been evident all our lives, even though we know we put her through some trying times.  She brought out the best in those around her, even when it was not always easy to do.  This warmth has been evidenced by her complete and immediate acceptance of our extended families.

Barbara was the first person to unselfishly do what needed to be done in any situation whether it be for one of us, or one of her outside organizations, and always without complaint. She was out there giving her time and efforts to those causes that need it most.  Organizations like CASA were lucky to get someone with her caring and giving attitude; and someone who could also provide sound level-headed advice.

We thank her for all she has given us.  Our love for her cannot be fully expressed in words, but we hope this gives everyone a sense of how we feel.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Barbara's name to a charity of your choosing.

A memorial service will be held on January 12, 2021.