On Friday, May 27, Barbara Jane St. Arno Carlson (née Stever), passed away peacefully at home after a brief spell of hospice care. She was 94. The causes of death were complications from congestive heart failure and pulmonary fibrosis.

She was preceded in death by her parents Gladys (née South) and Lourin Stever, younger brother Walter (Elizabeth) Stever, first husband Clifford "Kip" Victor St. Arno, and second husband Andrew (Gerry) Carlson.

She is survived by three daughters—Michele (Ken, d.) Kirkman and Rise' and Yvonne St. Arno (Thomas Bowden)—six grandchildren—Shannon Feiler (J.T.), Darcy White (Matthew), Lauren De Neve (Brad), Jared Kirkman (Giulia), Sean (Natalie Mayberry) and Cody Michaels (Amber Graham)—and five great-grandchildren—Alyssa Feiler, Lucy De Neve, and Gavin, Lorenzo, and Giovanni Kirkman.

A feisty, mischievous spirit propelled Barb across nearly a century of living. Born in 1927, she attended Farmington High School, where she graduated as part of the Class of 1945 after having been part of the marching band and having worked the counter of the local Sanders. Then, when she was 18 years old, she married Kip St. Arno, the one man she adored her whole life. Together they raised three daughters.

In addition to raising a family, Barb also took employment at various times at Greenfield Village, Jacobson's, S&H Green Stamps, and a doctor's office. Her hobbies included singing in her church choirs (Clarenceville Methodist and St Matthew Lutheran Church) and knitting (for which won awards at the Michigan State Fair).

She and her husband Kip also enjoyed attending hockey games and vacationing with their best friends, Tom and Ruth Reed. Together, they held season tickets to the Red Wings at Olympia Stadium and flew with the team to cities across the country to watch their games as members of the Red Wings Travelers Club. During the summers, the families vacationed together on Long Lake in Alpena.

The pleasure Barb and Kip took in traveling included bow hunting for deer and camping, which progressed from sleeping in a tent to driving a motor home. The motor home adventures included a three-month long cross-country trip with the whole family and, for Barb and Kip's 25 ^th wedding anniversary, a trip to Mexico as part of a 50 motor-home caravan. After Kip's passing, Barbra continued camping every summer with her daughters and grandchildren.

Barb and Kip also participated in Civil War re-enactments as part of the Michigan 17 ^th Regiment at the Greenfield Village Muzzle Loaders Festival and other locations across the country, joined by their granddaughter, Darcy.

Her lifelong love of hockey and the Red Wings was rewarded by two events: For her 80 ^th birthday she was treated to a Zamboni ride at Joe Louis Arena between periods at a Wings game, a thrill she recounted—to total strangers!—for years afterward. The second: She died knowing that Jeff Blashill will no longer be coaching the Red Wings.

Barb loved life and let everyone she met know that they were loved. She struck up conversations with strangers, was free with hugs. She wanted to smile and laugh, and to make others smile and laugh, too. She was greatly loved by everyone fortunate enough to know her, and she deeply loved each of her daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at St. Michael Lutheran Church (7000 N. Sheldon Rd., Canton, MI 48187) on Thursday, June 30 at 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Ainsley's Angels of Michigan at www.ainsleysangels.org . There, you will find a "Donate" tab. Once on the Donate page, click "Southeast Michigan" and the amount you wish to donate. Ainsley's Angels is an organization devoted to making endurance events accessible to all people, including Barb's great-granddaughter Alyssa, who uses a special adaptive wheel chair to participate in races 5K and longer.