Barbara Jean Hutchinson

Barbara Jean Hutchinson  April 7, 1944 - April 18, 2025

Born to Winton James Bush and Hazel Lorraine (Fenimore) Bush in Portland, OR, God called her Home on April 18, 2025, from a hospice home in San Diego, CA.

 

A nurse for 60 years, Barbara saw many changes and improvements in the medical field throughout her career.  Her favorite was that when people broke their hip, there was no hope of recovery; now they can have surgery and walk out of the hospital in a few days.

 

Barbara spent most of her school years in Battleground, WA. After losing her dad, she moved to Portland, Oregon, with her mom, where she graduated in 1962. She then moved to Fruitland, Idaho, to live with her aunt, Eva Jean Purdum (still a resident of Fruitland, ID, at the age of 100).  She attended Treasure Valley Community College and obtained her Licensed Practical Nursing degree.  She graduated from Boise State University in 1982 as a Registered nurse. 

She met Bill Hutchinson in Fruitland, Idaho, and they were married on July 5, 1963. He graduated from Fruitland High School and taught Ag and FFA classes.  

Together they explored the mountains and valleys of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, hiking, fishing, rockhounding, and carrying each of their five daughters on their backs as they came along. 

 

They had a small dairy in Fruitland and then took over the family farm from Bill’s parents (Harry & Ferne Hutchinson) when they retired and moved into town. 

 

Barbara enjoyed supporting and cheering on her girls in their athletic endeavors, including: swimming, volleyball, track & field, basketball, and softball. She also enjoyed helping her daughters learn to sew, knit, and crochet through 4-H, and watching them learn about showing animals.

 

Barbara was also an excellent, self-taught seamstress who made matching holiday dresses for all the girls as they grew up. She even made beautiful wedding dresses and bridesmaids' dresses for the nuptials of several of her daughters. She also crocheted and knitted, making numerous items for her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and others. She would crochet octopuses and give them to needy children as well.

 

Barbara spent many years as a nurse at Holy Rosary Hospital in Ontario, OR.  Then at the Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in Elko, NV, she, Bill, and the younger two girls moved there in 1988.  Once all the girls were out of the house and independent, Barbara enjoyed travel nursing.  As she said, “I get paid to go on vacation!”  She took the opportunity to work at hospitals in places she wanted to see, and hospitals near loved ones she wanted to spend time with; these included, but are not limited to, San Francisco, CA, Vallejo, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Anchorage, AK, and Valdez, AK. 

Bill often spent time with her on her nursing assignments.  Sometimes Bill commuted back and forth to Elko, other times staying the entire 3-6 months of the assignment with her. As Bill’s health deteriorated, she took him on a “Drive Across America”, from Alaska to Florida, stopping everywhere she could get an audience to spread awareness for Lewy Body Dementia, Bill’s affliction.  She was his caregiver, chauffeur, advocate, and partner until he passed away with complications of Lewy Body Dementia in 2007 in Fort Myers, Florida. 

 

From Florida, Barbara took her home, a 35’ RV, to North Carolina, where her youngest daughter Nadine was living.  While working at the Newport, NC, hospital, Barbara met Herb Sheades and spent 13 years with him building boats, fishing, and enjoying time on the ocean.  She also continued nursing, doing In-Home nursing care for several families.  She enjoyed one-on-one time with her patients and was even allowed to introduce a couple of them to her daughters via Zoom calls. When Herb passed away due to complications of diabetes, Barbara officially retired after 60 years of service and once again took to the road.  She spent the next 2.5 years traveling and spending time with her daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister, and brothers.

 

Her family has expanded across the United States from their origins in Washington and Idaho to Alaska, Florida, Texas, California, Tennessee, and Minnesota, and that’s likely missing some!

 

Barbara is survived by:

Siblings

Brother Jerry Bush and Sister Lenore Kennedy

5 daughters 

Janice Hutchinson, Laura (& Joe) Dirksen, Karen (& Mike) Peterson, Kristine Spencer, and Nadine (& Kevin) Freiburger.

16 grandchildren

Jimmy (& Amanda) Kerner, Jason Kerner, Janette (& John) Huston

Jesse Dirksen, Jacob Dirksen, Jolie Dirksen, Jordan Dirksen

Joshua (& Amanda) Peterson, Mesha Peterson, Naomi (& Austin) LaFollette

Nadia Spencer, Logan Spencer

Ilyssa Freiburger, Ty Freiburger, Kyra (& Kard)  Boytim, Kevyn Freiburger

12 Great Grandchildren

Elanor & Lillian Kerner, Kaylee & Rilynn Huston

Lydia Grace Isidore

Abigail, Luke, and Brooke Peterson

Maddy Grace Peterson

Miles, Jace & Baby LaFolette

Numerous nephews and nieces, cousins, brothers- and sisters-in-law, friends who became family, loved ones, and her 100-year-old Aunt Eva Jean Purdum.

 

She was preceded in death by her father and mother, aunts and uncles, grandparents, brother Darrell Bush, husband Bill Hutchinson, and fiancé Herb Sheades.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made via Zelle to [email protected] or by going online to DrownedBaby.org and clicking on the blue “Donate” button in the lower right.  The Boytim family offered the use of their equipment, which has restored functional life to their son, for Barbara’s use, to help her on the road to beating the cancer.