Barbara Ann Rybolt, 85, of Kenney, Illinois, passed away at 1:55 a.m. on November 23, 2025, at Warner Hospital and Health Services in Clinton.

No services are planned. Calvert Funeral Home in Clinton is handling cremation rites.
All memorials may be directed to the Kenney Fire Department.

Barb was born December 31, 1939, in Clinton, Illinois, the daughter of Albert Edward and Dorothea (Williams) Samuel. She graduated from Clinton High School in 1957.

Her early career began in the 1950s working alongside her father “Sammy” at the Williams’ Paint Store that he owned on the Clinton Square. She later spent many years at Revere Ware until its closure. In the 1980s, she joined the construction workforce of the Clinton Nuclear Power Station in Quality Assurance, then continued nuclear-station work in New York, Texas, Michigan, and South Carolina. She eventually retired after a long second career at Ameren Power in Decatur, where she formed many lasting friendships.

Her career was one outlet for her energy, but her driving forces were her family and her home improvement projects. She took considerable pride in the appearance of her home interior and yard and always had a project going, sometimes jokingly too many projects going. She was known for her thoughtful, personalized gift-giving, always accompanied by the beautiful penmanship she worked hard to perfect. She loved Snoopy, but even more so Woodstock, and pink flamingos became a light-hearted trend she enjoyed. She traveled to dozens of lighthouses across the U.S., collecting lighthouse figurines from each visit, and she gathered bottles of sand, carefully labeled and dated, from every beach she visited.

Barb, or “Meam,” especially cherished her grandchildren. She devoted as much time as possible to them, not only adoring and spoiling them but actively mentoring and guiding them. Her support and stability for her small family were truly remarkable.

Barbara is survived by her sons, Richard J. Rybolt of Maroa, Illinois, and Wade E. Finley of Herrin, Illinois; and her grandchildren, Cheyenne (Burchett) Keown, Canyon Burchett, Ali (Burchett) McDonald and Holden Samuel Rybolt.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her daughters, Laura (Finley) Burchett and Launa Finley. She mourned the loss of her daughters with tremendous grace, and it is comforting to know they are reunited.

Online condolences may be made at www.calvertmemorial.com