August 12, 1945 - July 16, 2026
Barbara “Barb” Jean Strozewski, 80, passed away peacefully on July 16, 2026, at Fountain Springs Healthcare in Rapid City, South Dakota, following a courageous ten year battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Born on August 12, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio, Barb grew up attending Edgemont High School before proudly serving her country as an Airman 3rd Class E-2 in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1965, stationed at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California. Following her service, she built a dedicated 35-year career with the U.S. Postal Service in Seattle, Washington.
After returning to her roots in South Dakota, Barb remained active in her community. She worked at the Conoco in Hill City as well as Edgemont, where she settled and resided for nine years. There, she served on the Edgemont City Council and shared her love for local stories as a reporter for the Edgemont Herald Tribune. Beyond her community work, Barb’s greatest joy came from the animals she loved throughout her life. Whether she was spending quiet moments with her beloved dogs or feeling the peace of being around horses, her compassion for animals was a defining part of who she was.
Barb is survived by her daughter, Sherri Miles, and her husband Russell Goyette of Westport, Massachusetts. She is also survived by her three siblings: sister, Joan Cummings of Portland, Oregon; brother, Charles “Chuck” Cummings and his wife Teresa of Portland, Oregon; and sister, Martha Cummings and her partner Sam Lowe of San Jose, California.
She leaves behind two nephews, Adam Salinas and his wife Gwynievere of Portland, Oregon, and Kole Barabasz; two grandchildren, Kathleen O’Meara and her husband Scott of Westport, Massachusetts, and James M. Mullin, III and his fiancée Kate Muir of Montgomery, Vermont; and four great-grandchildren, Roselind Mullin, Silas Mullin, Luciella O’Meara, and Eliot O’Meara.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Peggy Cummings and Raymond Strozewski.
May she find eternal peace on the open trails, surrounded by the animals she loved so dearly. We will miss you, Barb, Queen of the Wild Frontier.