Barbara Lea Keating

Barbara “Barb” Lea Keating; wife, mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother, peacefully passed Friday, December 9, 2022, at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, NV. Barb was born August 20, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois. She was preceded in death by her parents Robert Joe Sample and Arlene Joan Nelson, a brother, Leonard Sample, and a sister, Sandra Davis. Barb is survived by her loving husband Shawn Keating of Dayton, Nevada. Barb leaves to cherish her memories two children; Danika Williams of Carson City, Nevada, and Danara Tomasello of Reno, Nevada; two sons-in-law, Matthew Williams and Nicholas Tomasello; and five grandchildren, Eleanor Williams, Gareth Williams, Clifford Williams, Gino Tomasello, and Joey Tomasello. Barb was much loved by numerous nieces and nephews, extended family, and friends. She was devoted to her family and will be immensely missed.

Barbara's Story through her daughters eyes...

Barbara Lea Keating, age 59- breast cancer survivor, army veteran, mother, wife, and most importantly grandma- died peacefully with her husband by her side on December 9, 2022, in Reno, NV, after a short, courageous battle with stomach cancer.

Barbara was born the youngest of five siblings on August 20, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois to Robert and Arlene Sample. She adored her mother and oldest sister Sandy, both of whom she now has reunited with. As a freshman in high school, a boy opened the door for her one day as they went to classes and in doing so, opened the world to her. She would tell the stories of meeting Shawn and lovingly stalking him until he became her boyfriend on December 20th, 1977. Passing secret notes through friends so her dad who worked at their school wouldn’t find out, watching him practice for football and he watching her on the swim team. They’d trudge through snow to see each other, went to prom, took classes together (for which she studied so hard but struggled while Shawn would tell her “It’s easy, come on!” and teased her lovingly). They married at 18-years-old and for over 20 years they traversed the country in service to Shawn’s beloved United States Marine Corps.

As teenagers, Barbara told Shawn, all she wanted to do was be a mother and raise a family and he promised her he’d make that happen. Together, they had two children, for whom Barbara dedicated every minute of her life to - Danika (wife to Matthew, mother to Eleanor, Gareth, and Clifford) and Danara (wife to Nick, mother to Gino and Joey). While Shawn served overseas, she found ways to fill everyday with joy for her children, making magic out of simple things and somehow infusing such warmth and love into the most mundane. They didn’t go to movies, restaurants, or on trips, but she’d help make the most amazing forts using the entire living room (which would stay up for days) and come up with amazing craft projects. Collecting pinecones to decorate in glitter, stringing together beads to make gecko keychains, or intricately cutting and pasting together paper chains with the exact number of rings to count down the days until daddy (and her soulmate) would be home again. She’d make handmade, intricate costumes, the most beautiful team banners for the girls’ soccer teams, and the warmest, yummiest homemade bread that she’d bring out to the girls and the neighborhood kids so they could get a snack and keep playing until it got dark out.

In addition to being a wife and mother, Barbara’s most important role was that of “Ama” to the five most important people in her life - her grandchildren. She had waited patiently after raising her girls to finally get that job. When she did, she devoted everyday to it. She was caregiver to her grandchildren in place of daycare, raising them when mom and dad had to go to work. When kids started going to school, Sundays were Ama and Papa days, where’d they make the rounds to see all the grandkids. Ama always brought food specially requested by the kiddos behind their parents’ back and would have Shawn haul in bags of ingredients and cookware to make fresh waffles (so, so, so many waffles). She’d always have little gifts or knickknacks to bestow, usually given at the doorway as her grandkids surrounded her when she’d arrive. She always left visits with something that a grandkid begged her fix, something that had broken that week (to be sewn or glued), of which she always returned as if it had never been broken at all. The requests so often, she was lovingly labeled “Ama-zon.” But she didn’t complain (too much) as she loved being needed and the grandkids loved needing her. She loved spending months crafting Christmas lists, Easter lists, and birthday lists for each child- diligently researching and personalizing. Her meticulous notes in her beautiful handwriting she left behind are evidence of the immense time she spent planning for every holiday and event. She was everyone’s best friend.

The void she leaves is immense in the lives of those in her tight-knit circle. From the texts she’d send every single person every morning wishing them a good day and saying “I love you, Enibikita, XOXOXO,” to her food, which usually included at least one mistake thrown in, but often leading to amazing results (such as her famous chocolate chip cookies). She was so proud of her family, supported them to the ends of the earth, moved mountains to make beautiful things happen and would easily become a ferocious momma bear if necessary. She had the best hugs, the biggest heart, the most beautiful smile and eyes, but also an easy middle finger here and there just out of love (Chicago roots for you). She had many phobias and many quirks, for which we all teased, affectionately of course, and she lovingly quipped back as her “plagues of the week.” She was on the cusp of traveling outside of the country for the first time, but really, we all knew she would have hated it. Instead, she spent her last months with those she loved, in her home, having grandkid sleepovers, waffle Sundays, and sitting in “Ama’s” chair with her grandkids watching hours upon hours of whatever shows they wanted to watch. Shawn and Barbara found joy together in everything and she kept him in his place with a “Shawn” accompanied by the signature “look” that came from her mother (which has been passed down through at least two more generations) and he lovingly would always say “uh oh, I’m in trouble” and giggle in response. They built a beautiful family, one with many strong personalities and differences, but whom together are strong and unbreakable. The tragedy is that her grandkids didn’t get her longer, but we find solace that she met and loved every single grandchild she was going to have. All she wanted was to raise a family since she was a teenager - she did it and she was extraordinary. Her girls had the best childhoods because of her, and her grandkids had the most devoted grandmother that could ever exist. She did it all with her husband, partner, and teammate of almost 45 years, for whom she was absolutely in love with until her very last breath.

Enibikita Mahal.

Private services will be held at a later date with close family.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to be made in Barbara’s honor to Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Debbie's Dream Foundation (debbiesdream.org)