Barbara Van Zante, 80, of Grinnell, passed away Aug. 18, 2026. Memorial ser-vices were held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Sully Christian Reformed Church. Memorials may be given to Iowa Lions Eye Bank.
Barbara Joyce McDonough was born Sept. 8, 1945, to Glenn and Almira (Nieman) McDonough in Grinnell. Barbara grew up northeast of Grinnell where she attended a country elementary school and was a graduate of Grinnell-Newburg High School in 1963. She continued her education and graduated from the American Academy of Beauty in 1964 and the College of Automation in Kansas City in 1968.
Aug. 23, 1968, she was united in marriage to Arlyn Van Zante in St. John’s Lutheran Church in Grinnell. To this union they were blessed with three children: Eric, Tad, and Melinda.
Barbara was a farm wife, mom, and a hairdresser for a few years, and helped with the harvest. In her spare time, she enjoyed photography especially portraits, nature, and her grandchildren. She also worked on family genealogy for decades.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband Arlyn and their family: Eric (Tari) Van Zante, Tad (fiancée Lydia) Van Zante, and Melinda (Kent) Vander Velden; six grandchildren; four great-grand-children; and her siblings Howard McDonough of Grinnell and Carolyn Hildreth of Ankeny.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, her parents-in-law Wilbur and Harriet Van Zante, her twin brother Byron, her brother-in-law Tom Hildreth, and her sister-in-law Sue McDonough.
