Barbara Genevieve Mittelstaedt, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend passed away at the age of 86, the evening of December 22, 2024.

Barbara was born on May 26, 1938 in Chicago, IL to Stanley S. Kierna and Genevieve J. Kierna.

Barbara and her husband, Bill, were high school sweethearts and were married for 47 years. Together they raised three beautiful children Deborah, William and Keith. They spent a majority of their free time gardening together, growing a large assortment of produce and plants. They were both passionate animal lovers, and owned Cairo Pet Center on Cermak Rd. in Cicero, IL for about 15 years. She had many animal companions throughout her life and made frequent charity donations to the ASPCA.

Barbara was an excellent cook and baker. She poured all her love into recipes she created. Her crumb bars, lemon squares, Thanksgiving stuffing and spaghetti gravy were crowd favorites during family gatherings and the holidays. She was also an avid reader, and had her own mini library composed mostly of mystery and crime novels by James Patterson. She loved live theater and enjoyed watching Disney movies and the Hallmark channel.

Barbara was a storyteller at heart, always wanting to share and recount memories with those around her. She always seemed to make friends everywhere she went. Her fiery, goofy, positive nature was loved by many. Barbara was resilient in her fight against cancer and always maintained an optimistic outlook. She will be deeply missed and meant so much to so many people.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Stanley and Genevieve Kierna and her husband William Mittelstaedt. She is survived by her daughter and sons: Deborah Bryjak (Richard), William Mittelstaedt (Debra) and Keith Mittelstaedt (Lori), grandchildren: Kimberlee Beeler, Stephanie Salah, Matthew Bryjak and Rachel Mittelstaedt and great-grandchildren: Vanessa, Layla, Vince, Sophia and Marcus.

Visitation will be held Thursday, December 26, 2024 from 4:00pm-8:00pm at Dunn Family Funeral Home with Crematory, 1801 South Douglas Road, Oswego, IL 60543.

Prayers will be held the following day Friday, December 27, 2024 at 9:30am at Dunn Family Funeral Home with Crematory followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00am at St. Anne Catholic Church, 551 Boulder Hill Pass, Oswego, IL 60543. Final resting will take place at Bethania Cemetery in Justice, IL after the mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ASPCA www.aspca.org or the American Cancer Society www.cancer.org.