Barbara Ann Iverson, age 71, died after a long and extensive health struggle on Friday, June 11, 2021 at Ava's House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 909 W 33rd St., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57105. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association or the Banquet.

Barb was born to Lois and Ardon Iverson on January 12, 1950 in Fargo, North Dakota. She attended Washington and Lincoln High Schools in Sioux Falls, SD, finishing in the first graduating class at Lincoln High School. She attended Augustana College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. Barb began her teaching career in Benson, Minnesota before joining the Sioux Falls School District. Barb taught English Language Arts at Patrick Henry Middle School for more than 30 years. While there, she challenged and supported her students in the classroom and well beyond their middle school years. Many of her students considered her a dear friend decades after she had them in class.

Throughout her teaching years and into retirement, Barb was involved in her community. She was an early supporter of the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association--likely a result of the miles she put on her vehicle hauling disaffected teenagers to skateparks in the region at a time when Sioux Falls had no such venue. While dedicated to formal education, Barb also understood that not everyone thrives in a school setting and was deeply committed to ensuring that kids who might feel forgotten or unseen had an adult in their lives who supported them and cared for them just as they were. She attended rock shows in bars and spent hours at tennis meets and hockey games in order to cheer on her students--and in later years, the children of her former students. Barb could be counted on to attend dance recitals, theater performances, science fairs, and art shows of her friends, family, and students, regardless of the location, time, or level of convenience. Barb showed up for her people over and over and over. Her death leaves a massive hole in the lives of those who loved her.

Barb was a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church where she was involved with the quilters group and a supporter of the church library. She was also a member of the Daughters of Norway, recently serving as treasurer. She volunteered at the Banquet and continued to mentor students following her retirement. Barb loved reading, traveling, photography, and cats, particularly her feline companion Dougg. She had a passion for collecting special gifts and cards to give to those she loved.

Grateful to have shared Barb's life are her brothers Bruce (Pam), Richard (Caryn), and Doug (Darlene) Iverson; her nieces Erika, Caitlin, and Gretchen Iverson, Victoria Thomas, and Alison Sipes; her nephews Adam, Ian, and Sean Iverson; and her goddaughter April Hanson. Barb is survived by more dear friends, including many former students, than can be named. She treasured her friends and considered them family.

Barb is preceded in death by her parents, Lois and Ardon Iverson and her grandmother Audrey Johnson.