Barbara Ann Dyches

BARBARA ANN DYCHES, 71, of Ogallala, NE, passed away Monday, March 8, 2021, at the Ogallala Community Hospital.

Barbara was born August 9, 1949, at Oliver Springs, Tennessee, to Ben and Ruth (Robinson) Freels. She attended school in Oliver Springs, and later, Escondido High School in California.

She married Charles "Chuck" Rorabough on July 19, 1965 and they welcomed their first child, Sonja, on April 30, 1966, one year later. Their family grew with the addition of their daughter, Melissa, on Aug. 27, 1969. Chuck passed away on December 14, 1972.

On February 22, 1974, Barbara married Kenneth W. Dyches at Riverside, California. A year after their nuptials, the couple assisted Ken's father Linwood Dyches in Fontana, California with starting church work. In 1975 they moved to Florida, where Ken and Barbara assisted Ken's father in establishing 2 churches that are still prospering to this day. The family then welcomed a son, Kenny, on August 5, 1976. They then returned to California in 1979, where they pastored another church in Moreno Valley. In 2004, the ministry brought them to Ogallala, where Ken pastored the Apostolic Family Worship Center until turning the church over to their son, Kenny, in 2018.

Barbara's faith in Jesus was central to her life. She always seemed to have a joy and kindness that undergirded her temperament. She was both lighthearted and good-humored, which made her a pleasure to be around and allowed her to make sincere connections with people and share her faith. Barbara spoke with a kind smile and a drawl that was distinctly her own, both comforting and full of southern charm. If you were lucky, you might even get to try some of her peanut brittle, which not only built renown through the years but also assisted with the building of churches by means of its fundraising potency.

Barbara had worked at the Crafty Corner for several years before going to work at Taco Johns. Most recently, she had been serving as an advocate for children at CASA. This work was so special to Barbara, and she gave herself to it without reserve. She possessed a servant's heart and worked diligently to care for the needs of the CASA board, staff, and the children that found themselves under her advocacy. Barbara never held lofty positions of authority; instead, in her modest way, she tried to be the hands and feet of her Lord, tending to the small and the overlooked.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents and a daughter, Melissa Williams.

Survivors include her husband of 47 years, Rev. Kenneth Dyches of Ogallala; children, Sonja Waren and her husband Jacob of Concord, NC, Rev. Kenny Dyches and his wife Elizabeth of Ogallala; five grandchildren, Jacoby, Rodny, Cherina, Cherlisa, and Victoria; seven great-grandchildren, Madison, Ian, Dakota, Matthew, Melissa, Mariah, and Kennedy; along with her Uncle Bill Smith and his children and many other relatives and friends.

Memorials are suggested to the Apostolic Family Worship Center in Barbara's memory. Condolences may be shared at prairiehillsfuneralhome.com, where the service will be streamed live.

Services will be on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. at the Apostolic Family Worship Center of Ogallala, with Rev. Myron Powell, Rev Robert Dansby and Rev. Russell Wolf officiating. Interment will be in the Ogallala Cemetery.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, March 16, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Prairie Hills Funeral Home in Ogallala.

Prairie Hills Funeral Home of Ogallala is in charge of arrangements.