Barbara Dene Boling

Born to Winnie and Ernest Wilson in 1930, Barbara grew up in Oklahoma and Texas among her nine siblings. She spent her high school years in Gruver, Texas. She attended Wayland Baptist College in Plainview and continued her BA in Home Economics at West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas. At West Texas State, she met and married the dashing football captain, John Boling in 1951 and were married. John was inducted into the Armed Forces as a Marine. They had both set their sights on teaching careers.

During these early years of their marriage of 25 years, she brought into the world three daughters, Wrennie, Waverly, and Natalie. Natalie passed at birth, and Barbara deeply grieved. She took care of her family’s needs as they settled in Santa Ana, California and later Orange, California.

Barbara was a lifelong learner, and she was a public school teacher. Her college degrees included a BA in Home Economics and a MA in Education Instruction at Long Beach State College. She taught Home Economics in the Orange Unified School District from 1958 until 1990. She began at the Junior High School level. She went on to teach at Orange High School where she modernized and organized both the curriculum and the facilities that housed the Home Economic classes. Because of her expertise, each time a new school was built, she opened the Home Economics departments as well: Villa Park High School, El Modena High School, and Canyon High School. She became the District’s Home Economic department chair and served until she retired in 1990. Before she retired in 1990, she entered the PhD program in Leadership and Human Behavior through United States International University. Her doctorate degree was conferred upon her in 1994.

Her love of God was always present. She was a Sunday School teacher in the Southern Baptist churches in Santa Ana and Orange. After her divorce in 1972, she found Unity; she became a Licensed Unity Teacher conducting classes at Unity churches in south Orange County. Later, she felt called to do spiritual counseling and did so.

During these later years, she met Ray Twaits. They became fast friends and companions. Together they toured the United States and the world until his passing in 2008. She was hampered in these later years with scoliosis and heart issues which made moving around a chore. However, she continued to attend Unity Church and to shop for those special deals with her daughters and her friends.

She was inquisitive…a wife and mother, a student, teacher and counselor, and an adventurous soul. Most of all, she was known for her love and her compassion for others. She will be greatly missed by her family and by all who have known her.

She is survived by her daughters, Waverly Reed and Wrennie Warren, and by her sister Mary Bair.

The family would like to thank her caregivers at San Clemente Villas and hospice through Kaiser Permanente and Care Connections for the care and compassion they showed Barbara in her final days.

Before she passed, she had chosen cremation. Her ashes will be scattered at sea. Family and friends are invited to attend her Celebration of Life at Unity Church. The service will be held on Saturday, Mar.16. at 2:00 pm. at 23181 Verdugo Drive, Suite 103B, Lake Forest, CA 92653. The memorial service will be hosted on Zoom. Email: [email protected] for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her honor to Covenant House https://www.covenanthouse.org/donation-options/donate-now or to the ministry of Unity of Orange County https://unityoforangecounty.org/donate-2/