Barbara Ann Dyches, age 71, of Ogallala, Nebraska passed away Monday, March 8, 2021, at the Ogallala Community Hospital.
Barbara was born on August 9, 1949 at Oliver Springs, Tennessee to Ben and Ruth (Robinson) Freels. She attended school in Oliver Springs, and later, Escondido High School in California.
On February 22, 1974, Barbara married Kenneth W. Dyches at Riverside, California. Their union was blessed with 3 children: Sonja, Melissa, and Kenny. A year after their nuptiuals, the couple assisted Ken's father, Linwood Dyches, in Fontana, California with starting a church work. In 1975 they moved to Florida, where Ken and Barbara assisted Ken's father in establishing two churches that are still prospering to this day. They returned to California in 1979, where they pastored another church in Moreno Valley. In 2004, the ministry brought them to Ogallala, Nebraska where Ken pastored the Apostolic Family Worship Family until turning the church over to their son, Kenny, in 2018.
Barbara's faith in Jesus was central to her life. She always seemed to have a joy and kindness that undergirded her temperament. She was both lighthearted and good-humored, which made her a pleasure to be around and allowed her to make sincere connections with people and share her faith. Barbara spoke with a kind smile and a drawl that distinctly her own, both comforting and full of southern charm. If you were lucky, you might even get to try some of her peanut brittle, which not only built renown through the years, but also assisted with the building of churches by means of its fundraising potency.
Barbara had worked at the Crafty Corner for several years before going to work at Taco Johns. Most recently, she had been serving as an advocate for children at CASA. This work was so special to Barbara, and she gave herself to it without reserve. She possessed a servant's heart and worked diligently to care for the needs of the CASA board, staff, and the children that found themselves under her advocacy. Barbara never held lofty positions of authority; instead, in her modest way, she tried to be the hands and feed of her Lord, tending to the small and the overlooked.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents and a daughter, Melissa Williams.
Survivors include her husband of 47 years, Rev. Kenneth Dyches of Ogallala, Nebraska; children, Sonja (Jacob) Waren of Concord, North Carolina and Kenny (Elizabeth) Dyches of Ogallala, Nebraska; five great-grandchildren, Jacoby, Rodney, Cherina, Cherlisa, and Victoria; six great-great-grandchildren, Madison, Ian, Dakota, Matthew, Melissa, Mariah, and Kennedy; along with her Uncle Bill Smith and his children, and many other relatives and friends.
Memorials are suggested to the Apostolic Family Worship Center in Barbara's memory. Condolences may be shared at prairiehillsfuneralhome.com, where the service will be streamed live.
Services will be on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time at the Apostolic Family Worship Center of Ogallala, Nebraska with Rev. Myron Powell and Rev. Russell Wolf officiating. Interment will be in the Ogallala Cemetery.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. Mountain Time at the Prairie Hills Funeral Home in Ogallala, Nebraska.
Prairie Hills Funeral Home of Ogallala, Nebraska is in charge of arrangements.