Barbara Jean Aaron

Barbara Jean Aaron passed away at her home in the Bishop Place Senior Living facility in Pullman, Washington, on September 19, 2026. She was born in Harrisburg, Illinois, on April 18, 1934, to Frederick C. and Julia Halleen (Ferguson) Henley. She graduated from Harrisburg Township High School, where she excelled academically and was involved in almost every activity. She attended the University of Illinois on a full scholarship and was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority but left after one year, when she became engaged to Thomas Elwood Aaron. Tom, also from Harrisburg and seven years older, was visiting home after graduating from West Point and recovering from an injury sustained on Pork Chop Hill in the Korean War. They married in Harrisburg on April 10, 1955, and set off on an interesting, challenging, and rewarding life in the United States Army. Barbara and Tom had two daughters, Cynthia Lee and Suzanne Elizabeth. Barbara made many homes over the years, including in three military posts in Germany and in other posts in various regions of the United States. Barbara had special talents in the kitchen and entertaining, and with home decorating, as well as sports. In her youth, she was a swimmer and did synchronized swimming. She was an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan but learned to like the Mariners after she moved to Idaho. Barbara also had musical talents, playing clarinet and piano, and she sang well. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Harrisburg, Illinois, and attended the First Presbyterian Church in Moscow. She was a member of the PEO Sisterhood Chapter Z in Harrisburg, Illinois.

After retirement from the military, Tom and Barbara lived in Hampton, Virginia, and New Bern, North Carolina. Barbara worked in fashion/beauty retail for several years after the children left home. She had a knack for sales and was sought after by customers for advice. Later, she and Tom moved back to Harrisburg, Illinois, and renovated and lived in three historic homes. Tom passed away in 2010 after a long illness. In 2012, Barbara’s house was destroyed by a tornado and she moved to Moscow, Idaho, to be near her daughter Suzanne and son-in-law. She moved to Bishop Place Senior Living, Pullman, Washington, in summer 2021.

Barbara is survived by her daughter Suzanne Elizabeth Aaron (Mickey Gunter) of Moscow, granddaughter Rachel Elizabeth Coleman (Steven Perlberg) and their children Maxwell James and Marina Colette Perlberg of Berlin, Germany, and several nieces and nephews and their children. She was preceded in death by her husband Thomas, daughter Cynthia Lee Aaron Coleman, brother George Frederick Henley, and parents.

Her ashes will be buried alongside her husband, daughter Cynthia, and other family members in a graveside service in Harrisburg, Illinois, at a later date. Barbara loved cats and dogs and was active in church in her younger days, so anyone wishing to make a memorial contribution could do so to the Humane Society of the Palouse or the First Presbyterian Church of Moscow, Idaho. Barbara received extraordinarily compassionate and competent care from her physician Helen Shearer MD, and the staff at Bishop Place, for whom she and her family are most grateful.