Barbara Ann Bence

Barbara Ann (Schales) Parshall Bence was born April 10, 1934, in Sitka, Arkansas, to George Dave and Hester Irene (Bonhill) Schales. She was the eldest of 15 children with seven brothers and seven sisters. She died peacefully May 30, 2024, at the memory care residence at the Mustard Seed Village in Key Center.

When she was quite young her family moved to Michigan, settling in the Mount Clemens area. After high school, she joined the Army and met her first husband, whose family lived in the Artondale area, so Washington became her home.

As a young mother of four, she met her second husband, and they settled in Key Center.

Barbara was a retired nurse who loved singing, painting, dancing and traveling. She enjoyed being part of the community and spent many hours at the Key Peninsula Community Center. She was a prolific painter and sang throughout the whole of her life, including many years with the Key Singers.

She was also a beloved mom, grandma, aunt, sister and dear friend, and will be missed.

She is survived by five of her sisters: Helen Jo, Donna, Yvonne, Debbie and Gail.

Also by her children, Cheryl, Li (Anne), Laurel and Virginia (Brian), plus Lis, a daughter of the heart.

And by her grandchildren, Sara (Casey), Jessica (James), Seth (Amanda) and Joe (Laura); and by her great-grandchildren, Ronnie (Nevaeh), Alyssa, Gregory, Yuuki, Alex, Trinity, Natallie, Elspeth, Aubrey and Noah.

She was widowed more than 40 years ago and is now at Haven of Rest cemetery in Gig Harbor beside her late husband, Paul Dene Bence.

Please join us for a remembrance June 27 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Key Peninsula Civic Center in Vaughn. A brief sharing time will begin at about 12:30 for anyone who’d like to speak about who she was to you.

Instead of flowers, you may like to donate to local groups that were important to Barbara, such as Key Singers, Key Peninsula Community Services, The Mustard Seed Project, or Mustard Seed Village. There are also various Alzheimer’s associations that do good work.