Barbara Magleby, 88
On July 31, 2023, Barbara LeBeau Huot Magleby, 88, of Priest River, Idaho, went to be with the Lord. She spoke many times in her last days of the excitement she felt about going home and seeing her husband, Kay and being with Jesus.
Barbara was born on April 14, 1935, in Newport, Wash., to Beatrice and Dewey Huot. Barbara’s love for the outdoors began during her early years on the Quartz Creek Ranch, located between Priest River and Priest Lake. When Barbara was in elementary school, her family moved to Pullman, Wash., where she graduated from high school.
Barbara’s mother encouraged Barbara and her sister to pursue the fine arts, and Barbara excelled at ballet. She graduated from the University of Utah in 1957, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, with an emphasis on ballet.
Barbara met Kay Magleby in the early spring of 1957, at the University of Utah. They were married Sept. 1, 1957, at Barbara’s parents’ home on Priest Lake. The guests came by boat as there were no roads on the east side yet. Barbara and Kay settled in the California Bay Area and had five children: Deborah, Lowell, Anne, David and Beatrice. Barbara and Kay enjoyed their 10 grandchildren.
Barbara was proud to be first and foremost a homemaker, although she would have said “housewife.”
Her passion for politics and her sense of civic duty led her to join the California Federation of Republican Women. She began in a local club and moved into leadership positions. In 1986 and 1987, she was the state president. Barbara was the guest of Presidents Nixon and Reagan in the White House. President H.W. Bush was a Federation guest in California.
Barbara handmade most of the business clothes she wore. Barbara enjoyed drawing house plans, and many of the houses she designed, she and Kay built. They enjoyed all the tasks of finishing a home: laying tile, installing baseboards, hanging wallpaper … She also enjoyed needlework, decorating, and canning fruit from their California orchard.
Summers meant packing up all the kids and heading for the small cabin on Priest Lake, next door to her parent’s home. She fished the streams and picked huckleberries, made jam, and provided many books for her children to read. Barbara drove the boat Kay and their son Lowell built for waterskiing. When the children were grown and gone, Barbara and Kay traveled extensively throughout the world. Barbara loved to learn about cultures and seeing architecture.
She did a self-study of Greek and was very excited when she could read the manuscripts of John 1. Barbara’s love for the Lord was deep, an integrated part of her heart and mind. She enjoyed studying the Bible and doing extensive research with commentaries. When the grandkids visited the family home on Priest Lake, Barbara hosted a Bible Study for them first thing in the morning. She awarded smiley stickers to the best participant.
Barbara loved to laugh and to make other people laugh. She purposed to be happy in later life even when she missed Kay. Toward the end, she loved to go on a car ride, go to church and go shopping at Safeway. She found joy in the simple things.
Services will be held at Priest River Community Church in September. The specific date and time are yet to be determined. Check for updates below.
Sherman-Campbell Funeral Home in Newport, Wash., is in charge of arrangements. Family and friends are welcome to visit their website atwww.shermancampbell.com.