Barbara Lee Kerrigan Smith Varner was born to John and Edith Kerrigan in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1944. She graduated from Midland High School in 1962 and later in life became a Registered Nurse, specializing in cancer treatment at Mid-Michigan Medical Center and critical care at the VA Hospital, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Barb married Floyd (Butch) Smith in 1962 and together they raised three children, Margaret (Doug) Foutch, Matthew (Kirsten) Smith, and Carrie (Todd) Wahls. They divorced in 1980.
In 1986, Barb married her best friend, Dale Varner. To say they were inseparable is an understatement. Together, they traveled extensively and created a large blended family that often gathered at The Flats, on Sanford Lake. In 1995, they found a winter home at Plantation Landings, in Haines City, Florida where they enjoyed a wide circle of friends on the golf course.
Barb is survived by her devoted husband, Dale; her children and stepchildren Lisa (Tim). Peterson and Mark (Dawn) Varner. She was a loving grandmother and also enjoyed 10 great-grandchildren.