Barbara Jean (Sharp) Croft was born September 23, 1936, in Burlington, Iowa, the daughter of Walter W. Sharp and Bertha “Bert” (Engel) Sharp.
She attended elementary school in Burlington and junior high in Mason City, Iowa. The family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1950, and Barb graduated from Omaha North High School in 1954. She then attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, graduating with a BA in Journalism in 1958. While at UNL, she was a member of Alpha Xi Delta sorority and Mortar Board Honorary Society; she organized and chaired a campus-wide group that brought five Hungarian student freedom fighters to the campus, providing them with tuition, room, and board.
She was a staff member of the Daily Nebraskan, and, in her junior and senior years, worked part-time at the copy desk of the Lincoln Journal. Following graduation, she returned to Omaha and served as continuity director for KETV, continuity and traffic director for radio station KMEO, and copy director of Universal Advertising Agency.
She was active, serving as president of the Omaha Chapter of the American Women in Radio and Television.
In 1964, she married Clarence L. “Clancy” Croft, and they had three sons. She and Clancy both gave freely of their time to Boyd Elementary PTA, Northwest High School PTSA, Cub Scouts, Boy Scout Troop 383, the Keystone Community Task Force, and Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church. Barb also served a term as president of the Omaha PTA-PTSA Council. Always a strong supporter of public education, she took a job with Omaha Public Schools when her boys were still in school; she spent 13 years as a community liaison at McMillan Magnet Center and became involved with a whole new group of educators, parents, and children.
In 2006, she and Clancy relocated to Scottsbluff, Nebraska to be closer to two of their sons, who were instructors at Western Nebraska Community College and enthusiastic about “the good life” in western Nebraska.
Tragically, Clancy passed away shortly after their move. Barb soon became involved with First United Methodist Church, as well as the local PEO organization, and volunteered her time with GED students at the college.
One of her fondest wishes came true in 2009 when she began a whole new career as a grandmother. She moved to the Village at Regional West, only a short distance from her granddaughter and, in 2012, her grandson.
Barb wanted to be a journalist at an early age, loved American history and politics, reading, volunteering, education, and life in general; she adored her family and sacrificed her time and energy for their wellbeing up until the very end of her life.
She is survived by sons Colin (Yelena Khanevskaya) of Scottsbluff, Darin (Lisa Yerian) of Cleveland, Ohio, and Brian, with grandchildren Lily and William, of Scottsbluff. She is survived by her sister, Judith “Judy” Grapes, three nieces, and two nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her sister-in-law, Billie Grace (Dan) of Arvada, Colorado.
“No light is given without illuminating its source.”
A Celebration of Life Gathering will be Saturday, February 10, 2024 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at The Village. Memorials may be sent to The Vine/First United Methodist Church in Scottsbluff. Fond memories and condolences may be left at www.dugankramer.com. Dugan Kramer Funeral Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.