Barbara Holloway Leeds Ryan

The first of three daughters born to Edward B. and Ethel (Holloway) Leeds of Haddonfield/Collingswood, NJ, Barbara trained at West Jersey Hospital in Camden, NJ. After earning the degree of a Registered Nurse in 1944, she joined the U.S. Navy Nurse Corp as a way to "see the world". She was stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital until resigning her commission at the end of WWII.

Dr. Lawrence Ryan noticed Barbara, a pretty, young nurse, and while he was already spoken for he thought he would introduce her to his younger brother. Barbara and Navy Lieutenant, Kenneth Yeager Ryan, were married just months later in 1945.

Barbara and Kenneth were blessed with five children. The family has fond memories of loading the kids, camping gear, and two weeks of supplies into the family Falcon wagon and hitting the road each summer.

Barb did not get to travel in the Navy, but she did get to travel by following her husband to Venezuela to mine iron ore, and later on a cruise down the East coast and through the Panama Canal on a Sun Oil tanker while Ken served as first engineer on the ship. And who could forget Barb and Ken spending their kid’s inheritance camping in their VW Rabbit pickup from the east coast to Fairbanks, Alaska.

Upon retirement Barbara and Ken took on missionary work in Passe Cataboise, Haiti. For four winters, they worked under the auspices of Unevangelized Fields Mission (now Crossworld). Barb used her nursing and parenting experience to care for missionary children, while Ken used his engineering training and experience to work in the repair and supply shop. Both were supporting a mission to find and distribute fresh water for drinking and irrigation.

Barb would be the first to tell you that the most important and defining moment in her life came when she and Ken made the decision to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior at the Christian Businessmen's Committee Banquet in Atlantic City, NJ.

Barbara was able to supplement family income while her kids were younger, working as a nurse while living in Livingston, NJ. Later as their kids became older, she went to work again while in Ocean City, NJ (Shore Memorial Hospital) and Narberth, PA. (Lankenau Hospital).

In the meantime, husband Ken had several jobs that required extended periods away from home. Alaska and Thule, Greenland were each eighteen-month stints. Barb accepted her additional single parent responsibilities without hesitation. Although, when Ken was home working from the local office and the kids were acting up, Barb seemed to enjoy saying, "Just you wait until your father gets home!"

As a child, Barb vacationed in Ocean City, NJ. Having the “sand in their shoes” she and Ken moved their young family to Ocean City in 1958 and lived there until 1966. They then moved to Narberth, PA where her three youngest children graduated from high school. In 1977, Barb and Ken moved back to Ocean City to care for her Mom, Ethel. The next move was to Abingdon, Virginia where they were adopted into the loving family of the Abingdon Bible Church.

In 2006 son David and wife Martha invited Barb and Ken to live in the two-bedroom apartment attached to their home in Sharonville, OH. Here Barb was able to care for Ken with the help of Dave, Martha and their three daughters. Husband Ken was called home just one day before Barb and Ken’s 67^th wedding anniversary in 2012.

While still calling Sharonville her home, Barb was able to go for extended stays with all her children (4), grandchildren (10) and great grandchildren (12). She loved having family around the table playing board and card games. On one visit, after some intense bingo, one of her great granddaughters posed this question, “How does great grandma win so many times?”

Barbara, the faithful and shining example of God’s love, left us all behind while in the loving care of daughter Pamela and husband Sid Coblentz, in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee.

Barbara is predeceased by her parents, sister Margaret, husband Kenneth and daughter Eileen.

Surviving are sister Joan Briant of Seminole, Fl., son Kenneth Leeds (Susan Shockey), grandchildren Amy Jo (Chris Brunetti), Mt. Airy, MD, and Rebecca Sue (Scott Myers), Cary, NC, great grandchildren Landon, Brooke, Brielle, Karis. Son Ronald William (Nancy Vander Schuur), The Woodlands, TX. grandson Timothy Eric (Kerry), Littleton, CO. great grandchildren Caleb, Emily and Madelyn. Grandson Kevin Joel (Nicole)The Woodlands, TX. great grandchild Kayley Mei. Granddaughter Stefanie Jill Hansen (Jeremy), Flower Mound, TX. great grandchildren Andrew, William and Lucy. Son David Warren (Martha Nelson) Sharonville, OH. Granddaughter Julia Elizabeth Brinker (Kyle), Cincinnati, OH. Granddaughter Kathleen Jane Schroeder (James), Coralville,IA. great granddaughter Mary. Granddaughter Caroline Anne Cunningham (Peter) Philadelphia, PA. Daughter Pamela Diane Coblentz (Conrad Sidney) Soddy Daisy, TN. Grandson Paul John (Leila) Cary, NC. Granddaughter Kelly Nicole and fiancé Benjamin Sterrett, Soddy Daisy, TN.

Funeral arrangements by Hodapp Funeral Home, 8815 Cincinnati Columbus Rd. West Chester Township, OH 45069.

Public Memorial Service, 11:00 AM, Monday, May 28, at the Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 6401 Ridge Rd, Cincinnati OH 45213 (513) 731- 9066

Family Funeral and Burial Service, Tuesday May 29th 11:00 AM at the National Cemetery in Dayton, OH.

Barbara’s family suggests that any gifts given in her name be sent to:

“Crossworld” Robinson #37670

10000 N Oak Trafficway

Kansas City, MO 64155

(Crossworld 816-479-7359)