Barbara Saylor, 86, died on Sunday, January 16, 2022. Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 28 ^th at Chaney-Reager Funeral Home in Sterling, Colorado. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 29, 2022,  at The Haxtun United Methodist Church in Haxtun, Colorado with Pastor Jeri Soens officiating. Burial will be at Jarvis Cemetery following the service and a reception will be held at the Haxtun Community Center. Barbara was a loving, sparkling, laughing presence wherever she went and will be remembered for her beautiful smile and happy disposition.

Barbara JoDell (Fryrear) Saylor, was the middle child of Melvin and Mary (Thompson) Fryrear. She was born on November 15, 1935, and joined her older sister, Helen Lou, and welcomed her baby brother, Dick, after her. She lived with her family on a farm south of Haxtun. She always shared stories of her wonderful childhood in the Highland Center community. Growing up on the farm, she so enjoyed helping her dad with the cattle, harvest time, and showing her steers in 4-H. Her love of all things farming followed her throughout her life.  She was an active participant in anything and everything fun, be it playing softball, glee club, playing the piano, or  singing and playing with her cousins. Her sister Helen Lou and much younger brother Dick, were often a part of her antics. She attended Highland Center for elementary and Jr. High school. She attended Haxtun High School where she continued to be involved in numerous sports and clubs. She continued her education at NJC and went from there to Colorado State College of Education in Greeley, Colorado where she received an elementary teaching degree. Teaching would become one of her many lifelong passions.

Barbara loved with great joy and kindness. Her daughters, Kathi, Peggy, and Laurie, were the recipients of her happy nature and love of laughter. They have so many memories of her signing them up for, and then leading, several clubs and activities. She taught 4 ^th grade Sunday School for many years, was a Girl Scout leader, and led the Methodist Youth Group. Swimming lessons were always a must, and they remember that when she was 35 years old, she also took swimming lessons and finally learned to swim.  She loved attending her children's plays, band concerts, piano recitals, choir concerts and sports.

She was a stay home mom until she decided to go back to full time teaching in 1972 at Campbell Elementary in Sterling, Colorado. Her second love, (after her daughters) was teaching and it was another setting where her sense of fun and creativity took flight. She provided hands on learning through games, play dough, brain activities, anything that she felt would make learning exciting and fun. To this day, her daughters can say who their mom was and someone will tell them they had loved her as a teacher.

All who knew her, knew she loved researching and using healthy habits. She'd rather shop for vitamins than clothes! She rode her bike everywhere and if she couldn't ride, she walked. She was before her time in lactose intolerance and celiac and constantly tried recipes that were very unique to her children's friends and family.   Fellow teachers always saw her with a huge container of drinking water wherever she went.

She was very involved in her community as well. The Sterling Library and Sterling Parks and Recreation were committees she was a member of, along with being a committed member of the local Republican Party association.   She gave to so many charities that her mail box was often full of hopeful new applicants.

Her grandchildren have so many happy memories of being with grandma.  She always had activities to do outside, a stock tank to swim in, bikes to ride, snacks to eat and funny movies to watch. They reveled in her happy laughter and felt her unconditional love all their lives. She would take you roller-skating, garage sale toy shopping, board game playing... she was a child's best companion.  How she loved her grandchildren!

She enjoyed 23 plus happy years with her partner, Chuck Hesse. They enjoyed numerous trips, including one to Alaska and several to places like Springfield, Illinois to pick up a truck and to sell a tractor loader near Cleveland. They enjoyed driving and seeing new places. They both had a love of cattle and spent many pleasurable hours working in Chuck's feed lot.

Barbara is preceded in death by her parents; infant brother, Alan; brother, Dick Fryrear; nephew, Sean Fryrear; sister, Helen Lambert and brother-in-law, Darrell Lambert.

She is survived by her partner, Chuck Hesse of Sterling; daughters Kathi L'Belle of New Mexico; Peggy Kokes (Mark) of Crook, Colorado; Laurie Burke (Keith) of Elizabeth, Colorado; grandchildren Jon(Tiffany)Jorgensen, Sarah (Chris) Vincent, Mary (Fabian) Medina, Cameron (Malorie) Kokes, Conor and Spencer Kokes, Craig and Paige Burke; great-grandchildren, Ira, Levana, and Rowan Borth- Jorgensen, Caellum and Cassidy Barbara Vincent, Annalisa and Freya Medina.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials are made to the Barbara Saylor Memorial Fund in c/o of Chaney-Reager Funeral Home, PO Box 1046, Sterling, CO 80751 to benefit some of her favorite local non-profits.