Barbara Ellen VanArsdalen's Obituary
Barbara Ellen (Gifford) VanArsdalen, age 83 of Lewes, Delaware, passed away on Thursday, September 29, 2022, due to complications from cancer. She was born on March 9, 1939, in Brooklyn, NY, the oldest daughter of the late Pearl Ellen (Windsor) Gifford and Walter Freeman Gifford and raised by Pearl (Gifford) and Allen Johnson.
Barbara graduated from Laurel High School in 1957 and attended nursing school at Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, graduating with her diploma in 1960. She also attended University of Delaware from 1970-73. In 1961 Barbara married Hubert Vaughan Prettyman, and they had two sons, Allen and Stephen. In 1989, she married Warren VanArsdalen. Barbara worked both as a hospital and an office nurse, finishing her career as a school nurse at Christiana and Newark High Schools. She loved the beach and being in the sunshine, and multiple crafts including sewing and needlepoint. Barbara was an avid reader and she volunteered at the Lewes Public Library. She loved her family deeply.
In addition to her parents, Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Van. She is survived by her sons: Allen Vaughan Prettyman (Tara) and Stephen Robert Prettyman (Jacquelyn); her grandchildren: Morgan Briana Waad (Tyler) and Duncan Vaughan Prettyman (Ari); her sister, Pat Howe (Ken); her nephew, Joe Collison (Amy); and her niece, Kathy Collison (Jim Shephard); as well as several great-nieces.
A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, at 11:00 AM, at Bethel Methodist Cemetery, located between Lewes Elementary School and Beebe Hospital on Savannah Road, Lewes, DE.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Barbara’s memory to Friends of the Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Avenue, Lewes, DE 19958.
Please sign the virtual guestbook located on the tribute page.
FLORIST NOTE: PLEASE DELIVER ALL ARRANGEMENTS BY 3PM, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022, TO OUR LEWES LOCATION.
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