December 3, 1931 – September 7, 2025

Barbara Ann Houck died peacefully on September 7, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Born on December 3, 1931 in Sioux City, Iowa to George and Carrie Schrooten (Bail), Barbara grew up on two different Plymouth County farms, engaging all manner of farm life from milking cows to driving horses or a tractor, and everything in between. Barbara had a lifelong love of horses and began riding her first pony, Red, at the age of four. Later, she would ride him to her country school, stabling Red in a neighbor’s barn. The family welcomed their second daughter, Karen Sue, in 1939.

Barbara graduated from Leeds High School in 1950. She left Iowa for Cottey College in Nevada, Missour, were she was active in playing field hockey and basketball, and graduated with an associate degree in music and piano and pipe organ performance.

Barbara obtained a bachelors degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, where she met her future husband, Charles Houck, whom she fondly referred to as “Chuckie.” Barbara and Charles were married September 1, 1956. They welcomed two wonderful sons, Charles in 1961, and Jeorg in 1963.

Barbara and Chuck settled in Muncie, Indiana in 1966, and was proud that while raising her family there, she returned to school and completed a MA degree in English and Remedial Reading at Ball State University.

Barbara’s career as an educator included teaching elementary, middle, and high school students in South Sioux City (NE, Chicago (IL), Iowa City (IA), Wiesbaden (Germany), and Muncie (IN). A highlight of her life was teaching English to Korean college students at Yeungnam University (South Korea) which utilized her TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) minor.

Barbara pursued many passions even before retiring from teaching. She took up woodcarving, water and oil painting, and other art related activities. Her talents was such that in Muncie she was able to display and sell several paintings.
Barbara was a joiner. She was a member of PEO, first in Muncie and later in Grand County, Colorado. She was also a member of the Ball State Women’s Club And she volunteered to building or restoring houses with Habitat for Humanity and/or Rebuilding our Neighborhood, delivering meals for Meal on Wheels, and at the Juniper library in Grand Lake.

Barbara’s love of horsemanship never wavered. When she and Chuck had their cabin built near Grand Lake in the early 90’s, Barbara purchased eventually two horses that she rode almost daily on the national forest trails around their cabin. She continued riding well into her 80s, often with her dear friend, Ann. Barbara also competed in competitive trail riding and on several occasions received ribbons for excellence in horsemanship.

Barbara continued her interest in music by singing in the Muncie Masterworks Chorale when it was founded in 1978, and serving on the board of the Grand Concert series for more than ten years. In 1990 she had the privilege of joining Masterworks choir members to sing in a performance of Dvorak’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall.

Barbara loved to travel. She and Chuck traveled by car throughout the United States, though California held a special place in their hearts. Together they traveled extensively in Europe, living in Wiesbaden, Germany from 1958 to 1960 while teaching in the US military school system, and in Leeds, England from 1965 to 1966 for Chuck’s Fulbright. They also spent a memorable summer in 1979 touring Europe by car with their sons and nephew, Kerry. Later with grandchildren, the family and just as a couple traveled to France, Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and Guatemala.

Above all, Barbara loved her family with whom she created many, many joyful memories, especially the Christmases at the Grand Lake cabin. Her grandchildren Antonio and Carmen were the light of her life. She was predeceased by her parents, George and Carrie, and her sister Karen Oliver. Barbara is survived by her husband Charles Houck; sons, Charles C Houck and Jeorg Houck; daughter-in-law, Regina Houck; grand children, Antonio Houck and Carmen Houck; and sister-in-law, Laurice Iseminger and brother in-law Kenneth Iseminger; seven nephews; and three grand nephews and six grand nieces.