Barbara Ellen Ball

Barbara Ellen Staves was born on October 19, 1942, in Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin to Arthur Elmer Staves and Charlotte Marie Ketelhut. Arthur Elmer Staves and Charlotte Marie Ketelhut would welcome a second child in December 1943 James Martin Staves. By the spring of 1943 Arthur Staves and Charlotte Ketelhut would divorce with both individuals eventually marrying other spouses. Charlotte Ketelhut Staves would spend the next four years trying to raise her young children while she was living with her Ketelhut relatives.

In October 1948 young Barbara Staves was seriously ill with polio and spent quite a bit of time in the hospital and rehab center. Barbara Staves was only six years old at the time of her illness and she was partially paralyzed on her right side. In rehab she would learn to walk again and regain the use of her right side. She spent the week before her six birthday in a solitary enclosed glass room in the hospital until she was transferred to the rehab center. In the meantime, during the summer of 1948 Charlotte Ketelhut Staves would meet and marry Richard Pearce Koop.

Early life was spent in Kenosha, Kenosha, and Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin until the early part of 1951 when Richard Koop would move the family to Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri where his mother and stepfather lived for a few months before moving the family to California where they lived in a couple of different places. The family would eventually move to Colorado where they lived in Westminster, Arvada, Denver, and Aurora. Barbara Staves Koop would attend West Middle School while the family was living in Aurora, Arapahoe, Colorado and she would also attend Central High School for a few years before dropping out to support the family by working at A&W as a car hop and then working at Woolworth alongside her mother and younger brother. Barbara Staves Koop would eventually work as a server at Cozy Café on East Colfax. While working at Cozy Café she would meet and eventually marry Donald Ervin Ball.

Their first date was on New Year’s Eve 1960 and on February 26, 1961, they would marry in a private ceremony in her parents’ home. They would welcome their first daughter Karen Sue Ball in November 1961 and then their second daughter Sandra Jean Ball in July 1963. Donald Ball was working in Aurora, Arapahoe, Colorado at Aurora T.V. Repair alongside his employer. Donald Ball also served in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base. Sometime in the early 1960’s Donald Ball would buy the Aurora T.V Repair Shop from his former employer. Both Donald and Barbara Ball would become Christians and would start attending Hoffman Heights Church of Christ where they would raise their daughters and serve the congregation for many decades.

When Babara Ball’s daughters were old enough Barbara Ball would eventually get both her GED and high school diploma and shortly after receiving both documents in 1975. Barbara Ball would start working in the Aurora Public Schools as an educator for the Adult Basic Education program to assist adults in learning to speak and write in English and the work went on through the middle 1980’s. in the early 2000’s Barbara Ball would work with Scholastic Book Fairs as a cashier by travelling to different schools in the Denver Metro area for in school Book Fairs and would also work in the Warehouse during big sales during Christmas holidays and the end of the school years. Barbara Ball enjoyed working with the children and would stay in this position until COVID19 became a pandemic. And the schools were closed for several months and unfortunately Barbara Ball was among the numerous cashiers to be let go when schools were able to return to in person learning.

Barbara Ball would also devote her time with her daughters while they were in school to becoming a Brownie leader along with a good friend and anything else that her daughters were involved with in school. Barbara Ball and Donald Ball welcomed three grandsons with both of their daughters. Barbara Ball and Donal Ball would fully support the three grandsons in anything that they were interested in whether it would be Boy Scouts, School Band Performance, and all sports activities whether it would be softball, baseball, basketball, football, and track. Barbara Ball would also volunteer at all three grandsons’ schools from kindergarten through high school.

Barbara Ball also had hobbies including go to the different Craft Fairs that were held throughout the Denver metro area. Barbara Ball also loved to work in the flower beds, crochet blankets, and do quilting which her father Arthur Staves gave her a push and a nudge to start quilting. While Barbara Ball visiting with her father in the Northern part of Idaho a bunch of the ladies would drive to Spokane, Washington for quits fairs.

Barbara Ball’s journey with Lewy Body Dementia in the Fall of 2023 and would progress throughout 2024 and with a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia in October or November 2024 the disease became extremely progressive towards the end of December 2025 and continues into 2025. Barbara Ball battled the disease with dignity and frustration until the early morning hours of March 16, 2025, when she passed away in her sleep at home from Lewy Body Dementia Barbara Ball was preceded in death by her father Arthur Elmer Staves, her mother Charlotte Marie Ketelhut Staves Koop, her younger brother James Martin Staves Koop. Barbara Ball was also preceded in death by her uncles James Charles Ketelhut and Clifford Frances Staves. Her grandparents were Charles John Ketelhut, Emily Lyman Walker Ketelhut, Elmer Ellsworth Staves, and Emma Mae Posil Staves. Barabar Ball survives by her husband of sixty-four years, her two daughters, one son-in-law, three grandsons and two granddaughters-in-law to include two great granddaughters, one great grandson. Plus, her two nieces along with three great nephews and one great niece.

A life well lived is a precious gift
Of hope and strength and grace,
From someone who has made our world
A brighter, better place
It’s filled with moments, sweet and sad
With smiles and sometimes tears,
With friendships formed and good times shared
And laughter through the years.
A life well lived is a legacy
Of joy and pride and pleasure,
A living, lasting memory
Our grateful hearts will treasure

- Author Unknown