Barbara J. Strawway

Barbara J. Strawway, age 91, longtime resident of Ovid and Romulus died at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, following a brief hospitalization.

Barb was born in Candor, NY on April 19, 1933. Her mother died when she was only 13, and her grandmother, Lily Cook, was instrumental in her upbringing.  Barb worked a long career of 28 years at Willard Psychiatric Center, where she worked as a dietician. Even after her retirement, she continued working for the Seneca County Office of the Aging for 35 years, assisting with home delivered meals and on-site lunch programs in Trumansburg and Waterloo. She was a life member of the Trumansburg Seniors and worked on the Election Board for 48 years. Barb didn’t retire again until she was well into her 80’s and even then, she continued to volunteer at Ovid Federated Church, with the food pantry and food distribution. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star of New York for 32 years. She was a joyful person with a dynamic personality and an uncommon sense of community service.

Barb is survived by her son, Larry Sibley of Romulus; her grandchildren, Anthony (Lynette) Zammett of Bartow, FL, Christopher (Lora) Sibley of Hope Mills, NC and Stephen Sibley of Yuba City, CA and 7 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her father, William Doty; her mother, Sarah Cook and her husband of nearly 44 years, John Strawway in 2014; by a son, Stephen Sibley in 2018 and by her daughter, Karen Harris in 2021.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00am on Friday, November 22, 2024, at Ovid Federated Church, burial will be held privately at Ovid Union Cemetery. Kindly consider a donation in Barb’s memory to The Ovid Federated Church.