Velma Arlene Snowbarger

Velma Arlene Snowbarger of Emporia died on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at her home.  She was 92.

Arlene was born on June 1, 1931, in Finney County, Kansas, the daughter of Otis Daniel and Gladys Ellen (Ball) Bond.  She married Marvin Dale Snowbarger on June 5, 1951, in Dodge City, Kansas.  He died on January 11, 2005, in Topeka.

Surviving family members include daughters, Linda (David) Glaze of Topeka, and June (Jeff) Winter of Ozawkie; grandchildren, Emily Bridgman (Jerry Parker), Kate (Michael) Davis, Erin (Travis) Zehr, and Jacob Winter; great-grandchildren, Victoria (Jared) Schwab, Molly Bitter, Alarik Bridgman, James Benjamin Bridgman, Olivia Davis, Taylor Parker, Brayden Davis, Chevy Parker, and Nora Zehr; sisters, Eleanor Hoover of Ovilla, Texas, and Maxine Neufeld of Garden City, Kansas.

She is preceded in death by her husband Dr. Marvin Snowbarger, parents, daughter Marlene Bridgman, grandson Benjamin Bridgman, brothers Richard and Larry Bond, sister Donna Burns.

Arlene was a homemaker where she utilized her spiritual gift of hospitality.  She was a member of the Emporia Church of the Nazarene; at the church she was a Sunday School Teacher for 40 years.  She belonged to the Cosmopolitan Study Club, and the local Women’s Auxiliary Medical Association. She nurtured and had a positive influence on literally hundreds of children and young adults in our community, that in turn have been making positive impacts around the world. Arlene was a woman with a gentle and honorable character, distinguished by her unwavering spirit of service for others. Her gentle demeanor, coupled with a mischievous smile and fun laugh, made her a favorite among many.

Memorial Service at 2:00 p.m., Friday, May 24, 2024, at the Emporia Church of the Nazarene in Emporia.  A private burial will be held later at Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery, Emporia.  Memorial contributions to the Emporia First Church of the Nazarene Church or Hand in Hand Hospice in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home, P.O. Box 175, Emporia, Kansas 66801.