Barbara Ann Longbella

Alzheimer’s disease robbed our mother of many things, but it never took away her goofy spirit.

She maintained a passion for Doritos almost to the very end, adopted several baby dolls that she cared for, often tucking as many as four into her bed, leaving little room for herself, and even when she had no more words, the cadence of her speech had the rhythm of a funny story.

But Barbara Ann Longbella, who died of Alzheimer’s on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, at the age of 83, was so much more.

She was the eighth of Marian (Kisler) and Daniel Spencer’s 10 children, born Sept. 13, 1937, in Brainerd, Minn. She grew up in nearby Staples and would spend weekends walking to the downtown movie theater to see the latest musical and then sing and dance all the way home, usually in the company of her sister Jeanie.

Music, especially playing the piano and singing, would be a huge part of her life — as would her family, especially the one she made with our dad, Wayne Longbella, who she married on Feb. 3, 1962.

They made their home in Fargo and Moorhead while our dad went to college, but not long after he graduated, they moved to Glyndon, Minn., where they raised four kids and eventually welcomed seven grandchildren.

Our mom worked as a church secretary for a few years, but mostly she was our mom, the one who was always there, often with a crossword puzzle at hand, listening to or watching the Twins play baseball. She loved to garden but hated to cook. And she was always singing.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Wayne; children Maren (Jason Abraham) Longbella of West St. Paul, Ayn (Mel) Locklear of Glyndon, Dane (Teresa) Longbella of West Fargo, N.D., and Robin (Matt) Ahonen of Dilworth; seven grandchildren, Matthew, Mei, Lin, Ming, Finn, Cass and Tess; sisters Carol Hyndman of St. Cloud and Jeanie Huebner of Staples, and brother Dan (LaVyrle) Spencer of North Oaks, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and four sisters.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.