WHITESTOWN
Barbara Helen (Capin) Tuley of Whitestown, IN, loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend, died on August 24, 2017, after her hard-fought battle with cancer. She was 74.
She was born in Mt. Carmel, IL on November 17, 1942, to George and Annabelle Capin. The family moved to Evansville, IN at an early age, and Barbara was a 1960 graduate of Evansville Memorial High School. She then attended the University of Evansville where she met her husband of 54 years, Tom, and received a degree in medical technology. After college, she worked in hospital laboratories at St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville and both Mercy Hospital and Claremont County Hospital in the greater Cincinnati area for nearly 30 years before retiring from the profession.
Her family and friends will remember her as a kind, caring person who always thought of others first. Hers was a life of giving, and Barbara had particular compassion for those less fortunate.
During the 17 years she lived in Brown County, she religiously volunteered two days a week at St. Vincent de Paul and also visited patients in nursing homes. While still living in Evansville, she was a volunteer tutor for adult literacy. Her compassion for animals was no less. While living in a log home surrounded by 18 acres of woods in a secluded area of Brown County, she often kept four hummingbird feeders and three bird feeders filled daily, while also carrying corn in gallon buckets to feed the deer twice a day. The animal kingdom grieves with us.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents.
She is survived by her husband, Tom; sisters, Georgeanne of Englewood, FL and Kathy Luker (John) of Huntingburg, IN; brother, Steve (Robin) of Evansville, IN; daughter, Tracy Pappas (Nick) of Zionsville, IN; sons, Brent of Fishers, IN and Brandon (Christy) of Cincinnati, OH; grandchildren, Elizabeth, Chris and Annie Pappas of Zionsville, Colin and Katie Tuley of Cincinnati; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and caregivers who attended to Barbara during the challenging past seven years, particularly Drs. Stephen Brigance, Michael Moore, Avinash Mantravadi and Brian Leon of IU University Hospital; Drs. Kenneth Kesler and Greg Durm at the Simon Cancer Center; and speech-language pathologists, Dee Dee Hammond and Byron Kubik. A thank you, also, to the angels at St. Vincent Hospice, whose hands were the last she felt; and to the many nurses at IU Health and St. Vincent whose caring touch made things a little better along the way. Last but not least, a heartfelt thanks to the many friends in the Hoosier Anamilo Club in Indianapolis, a laryngectomy support group whose advice, support, friendship and kindness was unsurpassed. Barbara truly found a guiding light with Anamilo during a dark time seven years ago; in her last days some of her best friends were waiting for her there.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any St. Vincent de Paul organization.
A funeral Mass will be conducted at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Nashville, IN on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at 2 p.m. with visitation at the church beginning at noon.
Bond-Mitchell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at BondMitchellFuneralHome.com.
