Obituary of Barbara Ann Alton

Barbara Ann Alton, 66, of Iowa City went to be with her Savior, surrounded by family and friends, on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after a brief illness. At her request, she has been cremated. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 6, 2015, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, with burial to follow at the Downey Cemetery. The family will receive visitors from 9:00 a.m. until services on Saturday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Barb's memory to the family. Online condolences may be sent to her family through this website www.gayandciha.com. Barb was born April 26, 1949 in Gary, IN to Ted and Dorothy Guba. Her family moved to the Iowa City area where she attended schools, graduating from City High School in 1967. Following graduation she traveled throughout Europe and eventually lived in Germany where her stepfather was stationed with the military. She left Europe after three years with her fiance, David Alton and returned to Iowa City. The couple returned to the states and married in 1972 in Merrillville, IN. To this union was born a son, Todd David. The couple later divorced. Barb worked as an Administrative Officer on Duty at the Veterans Medical Center for five years. She then owned and operated The Clothing Cottage, a women's clothing store in Iowa City. Prior to retiring in April 2014, she worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa. She was a member of Parkview Evangelical Church where she participated in a women's bible study group. As Star the Clown, Barb visited many hospitals and nursing homes as part of a volunteer pastoral care program. Faith, family and friends were her priorities. She enjoyed a lifetime of travel, music, ballroom dancing, and most recently RV travels with Leo. Her greatest joys were her granddaughters whom she spoiled unabashedly. In addition to her many friends, those left to cherish her memory include her son and his wife, Todd and Elissa Alton; granddaughters, Allie and Emme; half-brother, David Kay; aunts, Janet Havrilla (Dr. Ernest Havrilla), and Barbara Fedorchalk; uncle, Bill Baugh; many cousins from Indiana and the Chicago areas; and her dearest friend, Leo Vitosh. Barb was preceded in death by her parents; stepfather, George Kay; former husband, David Alton; and her granddaughter, Addison Roggeveen Alton.