Roxanne M. Barlow

Roxanne Barlow (nee: Verwey) of Racine – Roxanne age 69, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by family. She was born in McVille, ND, daughter of the late Gerald “Tyke” Verwey and Lois Kirkorian (nee: Pederson). She married her husband Richard Barlow of 41 years on September 25, 1982, blending their two families. Roxanne will be remembered for her infectious personality and warm smile. You could always find her dressed to the nines and never without her Silpada jewelry. She loved everyone she met, and she made each person feel like family. Roxanne never turned down an adventure, from riding a mechanical bull to dancing on bar tops. She was meticulous in everything she did as nothing was done halfhearted, ever, except for being on time. She was late to EVERYTHING because she always had one more thing to do and nothing was quite done to her specifications. She could spot a crumb on the counter from a mile away and stopped a fingerprint in its tracks. Roxanne was a caretaker, she remembered everyone’s birthday and made sure you felt loved and special on your day. As the oldest of seven children at the time, she helped raise her brothers and sisters while her parents worked. Even as a young mother, that did not change. She did whatever she had to do to ensure her children had what they needed. She was skilled in making a penny stretch, by clipping coupons and hitting all of the sales store by store. You might have even been a recipient of some of those coupons. She wanted everyone to thrive. Roxanne loved her family deeply, especially her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. If you knew her, you knew all of them. She was very proud of each one of the kids and took every opportunity to share everything about them. Roxanne’s favorite holiday was Halloween. You could count on her to have the house decorated with ghosts and goblins while hosting spooky shenanigans for the grandkids. If anyone missed it, she had treats to make up for it. She was the fun Grandma.

Roxanne is survived by her husband Richard Barlow, her children James (Jana) Schultz, Angela (Brian) Messmer, Chris (Sara Nowak) Barlow, Jamie (Traci) Barlow; her grandchildren Chelsea (Edwardo) Murillo, Skylar Schultz, Cameron Barlow (Amber Dejno), Natalia Messmer, Payton Schultz, Tyler Barlow, Andrew Messmer (Kaitlyn Mertz), Layton Barlow, Kenzie Barlow, Nolan Lipari, Nevan Lipari; great grandchildren Addyson, Elliana, Alex, and Miles; Siblings, Gerald (Veronica) Verwey, Debra Malacara (Dave Malecki), Cynthia Seeley (Chuck Price), Sandy Verwey (Jim Adrian) Gregery Verwey, Robert Verwey, Diana Verwey, Sarah Verwey, Ricky Verwey; Sister-in-law, Sherry Weber (Dave); Brother-in-law, Tommy Barlow and extended family including nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, mother-in-law Sophie Barlow, daughter-in-law Grace Schultz, nephew Sonny Bleichner, and several aunts and uncles.

A Memorial Service celebrating Roxanne’s life will be held at 6:00 pm at the funeral home on Monday, June 17, 2024. Relatives and friends are welcome to meet with the family for Visitation Monday, from 4:00 until time of service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America have been suggested.

A very special thank you to her husband Rick, for taking care of our beloved Roxanne. Thank you to Amanda Kreckling for guidance and direction. Thank you to Chelsea for doing her hair. A special thank you to Sherri who could always get a smile out of Roxy and blown a kiss when she left. Also, thank you to the staff at Compassus Hospice for their loving and compassionate care.