Barbara Meitler

Barbara Mae Elizabeth (Hocklander) Meitler passed away Saturday, June 14, 2014 at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kasnas at the age of 88. She was born in Utah, on February 1, 1926 to John and Elizabeth Hocklander. Their family was blessed with three boys and seven girls. Barbara married Pete on March 4, 1947. They moved to Kansas in 1948 where Barbara worked and raised a family of three children, Jennifer, Carl, and Lola. From working fair booths to catering and opening the Broken Arrow Restaurant in June of 1968, she enjoyed the food service industry. For fun, you could always find Barbara and Pete on a dance floor somewhere. Ballroom Dancing and Big Band Music were the best. They loved to hear many of their favorite performers and tear up the dance floors live and it was not uncommon for newlyweds to ask them to lead wedding marches because they were so good. Survivors include her children Jennifer and husband Jay Springer of Rifle, CO, Carl and wife Jacquie Meitler of Glenwood Springs, CO, and Lola Summers of Plainville; sisters Margaret Kuhlman of Moose Lake, MN, Loretta Poole and husband Harlan of Fresno, CA, and Ann Trees and husband Tom of WA; a brother-in-law Bob Thomas of WA; a sister-in-law Judy Hocklander of WA; seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Elizabeth; husband Pete; brothers Jo, Mike, and Leo; and sisters Marrian, Agnes, and Dorothy.