Barbara Jane Kyzar (Ellis) went home to be with the Lord and her beloved husband Frank, on May 26, 2021 at the age of eighty-seven. Barbara was born in Peublo, Colorado on May 31, 1933 and was adopted at the age of four months by Samuel D. Ellis and Bernice Ellis (Garwood). She grew up with her adopted brother, James Theodore. During her younger years, her mother Bernice taught her to play the harp and also taught her art, which included making porcelain figurines, some of which were sold at the opening of the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Her father Sam, who owned one of the first Greek restaurants in Denver, CO, taught her the restaurant and hospitality business.
She graduated high school in San Juan Capistrano, California, where she earned her letterman jacket for various varsity sports, including softball and tennis. She was also an avid chess player as well as a multiple trophy winning bowler. She worked at the first burger shack on the San Clemente, California, pier and later in life she would go on to purchase time share there and made it one of her favorite vacation spots. At this time, she lived in many, many cities across the United States, from the West Coast to the East Coast. She lived in Daytona Beach, Florida before the famous racetrack was built! She then came back to Denver, Colorado where her father lived and went to college there, attending Denver University. At this time, her father married Alva Ellis (Enfield). Her family grew over the years to include her stepsisters Crystal, Froseyne and Leona as well as her stepbrother Sammy Junior. She also began working for the Denver Colorado Welfare Department.
While in college, she went on a blind date with Frankie Joe Kyzar, whom, after serving in the US Air Force, asked her father for her hand in marriage. Frank and Barbara were married on December 8, 1957. At this time, Frank started his career at Continental Airlines. While in Denver, they started their family, having Nancy Lorraine and then Kenneth Bruce. Shortly after Ken’s birth, they moved to Chicago, Illinois with Continental Airlines. They once again moved with Continental Airlines to Los Angeles, California in 1967 and had Samuel Louis shortly after. They moved to the city of El Segundo, California and became incredibly involved in the community by volunteering with the Little League baseball and Babe Ruth baseball organizations. Barbara made the snack bars for both organizations her home away from home as well as serving as room parent and on the PTA. She worked at Robert Nelson Studios in El Segundo, who later printed material for the President’s Clubs for Continental Airlines. She also had so much fun raising money for El Segundo Babe Ruth through their yearly show (The Blackouts).
In 1982, Continental Airlines transferred Frank to Houston, Texas. Shortly after, Barbara became a grandmother for the first time when Nancy had her first child, Christine. Over the next twelve years Nancy had four more children; Ryan, Sarah, Raymond and Jason. She adored her five grandchildren very much. She shared her time traveling back and forth from Houston to El Segundo and some of her most fondest memories and favorite past times were spent going on many adventures with her family and friends. She loved playing card games and was especially good at Backgammon. She loved traveling the world with Frank and had visited Thailand, Germany, the Bahamas, Denmark, and Greece…just to name a few.
In her sixties, she met her biological mother, Bobbie Bookhammer, for the first time. This opened the door for even more branches on her family tree! She was also able to connect with her biological brothers Joe & Virgil and her biological sister, Sheila.
When she was eighty, Barbara became a great-grandmother for the first time after Sarah had a child, Paisley, whom she adored very much.

She is survived by her children, Nancy Johnson (Howard) of El Segundo, CA, Ken Kyzar of Splendora, TX and Sam Kyzar of Humble, TX; her sisters Froseyne Mensindick (Dan) of Ivins, UT, and Leona Ellis of Castle Rock, CO; her brother Sammy Jr. (Suzanne) of Table Rock, NE; her sister-in-law Sylvia Ellis of Dener, CO; her sister-in-law Joan Kyzar of Bogue Chitto, MS, as well as her five grandchildren (Christine Johnson, Ryan Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Raymond Johnson & Jason Johnson), one great-grandchild (Paisley Ward Johnson) and many nieces and nephews. She is proceeded in death by her father Sam Ellis, and her mothers Bobbie Bookhammer, Bernice Ellis (Garwood) & Alva Ellis; her beloved husband Frank Kyzar (2002); her father and mother-in-law Louis and Lesie Kyzar; her brother and sister-in-law Julian and Agnes Calcote; her brother-in-law Elbert Bernard Kyzar; her sister Crystal French and her brother James Theodore Ellis.
Barbara was known by everyone to be such an amazing, sweet, kind hearted and patient woman who spread smiles and joy everywhere she went. She was forever grateful for her forever friends that she made through her journey of life as well as her family that she loved so much. She will be forever missed by everyone who knew her.
Barbara’s cremains will be taken to Providence Baptist Church Cemetery located in Lawrence County, Mississippi and buried next to her beloved Frank.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” – John 14:1-3
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord…” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18