Barbara A. Riesbeck (nee Markle), 80, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on the evening of February 21^st, 2025, due to complications from vascular dementia. She was born to Robert and Florence Markle on January 17^th, 1945, at South Shore Hospital in Chicago. She grew up in Oak Lawn and graduated from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School. She married Alvin F. Riesbeck, Jr. in June of 1972 and they raised two daughters, Vicki and Jennifer. The family moved to Woodridge in 1977 and Barb and Al lived there nearly 50 years.

Barb’s main focus in life was being the best wife and mother; she enjoyed being a stay-at-home-mom for her girls. She loved that she got to be a room mother, Brownie leader, field trip chaperone, and the best nurse on sick days, letting them watch all the ABC soaps!  Once Vicki and Jen were older, she worked a variety of part-time customer service positions, including at Kohl’s, and Taco Bell. In between all that, she found outlets for her many creative talents, including ceramics, quilting, embroidery, and cake-baking for friends and neighbors. She also had a secret passion for poetry, both reading and writing it! And a well-known zest for travel, whether it was weeks-long trips with Al or weekend road trips with her girlfriends. She adored listening to old school country music, especially by Kenny Rogers, watching the Hallmark Channel, and collecting English bone China tea cups and saucers.  However, Barb’s greatest treasures, by far, arrived in 2000 and 2004 when her two grandchildren were born, creating an unbreakable bond of unconditional love and support as their “Gramma.” Her generous heart and kind and caring spirit will be greatly missed but never forgotten by those who knew and loved her.

Barb was preceded in death by her devoted husband Alvin, her mother, Florence A. Markle (nee Dopke) and father, Robert M. Markle. She is survived by her two beloved daughters, Vicki (Kevin) Zwart, and Jennifer Riesbeck (Brian Opalka), her two cherished grandchildren, Jule and Calder, her two favorite granddogs, Jaci and Annabelle, her loving sister Sharon (Dan) Korthauer, several dear nieces and nephews, including Erin (Jay) Genis and Rachel Elliott, and so many good friends. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, May 3, 2025, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church at 2600 75^th Street, Woodridge, IL. Visitation will be at 10:00 am with a service at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation.