Barbara was born on February 13, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois, the only child of Richard Victor and Kathryn (Adamek) Schmidt. At an early age she moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, where she spent most of her life. In 1984, shortly after the death of her husband, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri. She lived in St. Louis until moving to Colorado in 2017, where she lived near her son Brett.

She worked as a switchboard operator at the local phone company after high school, not long after World War II. She met her husband-to-be, Clyde McEntire, on a blind date and they married in April of 1952. Barbara was an active participant in the Marshalltown community, and in her later years was an avid traveler. She had a deep love for animals and cared for many pets throughout her life.

In addition, she was a pioneer in her time, joining the Baha’i faith in her early thirties, practicing yoga each and every morning for over sixty years as well as teaching yoga in Marshalltown for over 20 of those years. She entered and graduated from Logan Chiropractic school in St. Louis when she was in her early fifties.

She is preceded in death by her husband Clyde McEntire, and is survived by her three children, Robin McEntire (Judy Schatz), of Elkins Park, PA; Kileen (Mark) Rezac, of Scottsdale, AZ and Brett McEntire, of Denver, CO; as well as five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Her optimistic spirit and belief in the full spectrum of what life gives us, including its natural ending, gave her the ability to look her dementia in the face without blinking. She was herself, cheerful and joyful, up to the very end.

Those who wish to commemorate her time on earth are welcome to make contributions to The Alzheimer Foundation at alzfdn.org, Northglenn Baha’i Community at 11762 Keough Dr., Northglenn, CO 80233 or the Marshalltown Animal Rescue League.