Barbara Lucille Holt Williams

Barbara Lucille Holt was born in Houston to Lucille Stroud and Charles Edward Holt Sr. in Houston on the 21st of January 1937. She was the middle child between two brothers Charles Edward and James Stroud. Her first five years were spent in the Cypress-Fairbanks community near Houston. The family then moved to Waller TX, where they lived in this farming community through her high school days. She was active in sports including barrel racing, piano, and was a majorette and valedictorian of her high school.

Barbara attended Baylor University where she earned her degree in sociology. She married Ernest Flores Castro in 1957. They moved to Louisiana for a time where she was a case worker for the Welfare department. In 1960, Barbara became a mother to Suzanne and 14 months later to Joni while living in Fort Worth where Ernie attended Southwest Seminary.

Barbara was active in her local churches and community in both Duncan and Norman, OK and earned a Masters of Social Work from OU.

In 1970 the family moved to Wichita where Barbara began her professional career as a clinical social worker, spending 28 years with the Wichita Guidance Center and then later in private practice, finally culminating in her role, supervising new mental health professionals at HopeNet.

Barbara was active in the mental health community between 1970 and 2017 serving or on the board for the following organizations: Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Hopenet, the Advisory Board of AMEND, establishing the New Parent Program, Supervisor for masters level social work staff obtaining clinical certification, conducting in-service training for the Sexual Assault Center, and training psychology and social work interns in the assessment of sexual abused children.

In 1974 her marriage to Ernie ended. They remained on friendly terms for the next 50 years; both attending family events with cordiality and grace to one another.

In the early 1980s, Barbara met Robert Williams. They were married in 1983 and her family expanded to include Bob’s four children: Robert, Matt, Becca, and Amy.

In 1985 she became a grandmother for the first of what was to become 20 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren (with three more on the way). During these years she continued to ski, play raquetball, wrote songs for each grandchild, and drew portraits for the high school graduates. She remained active as an accomplished seamstress, pianist, artist, and upholsterer and was matriarch of our large family.

She breathed her last on August 4, 2026 surrounded by family. She was predeceased by Bob in 2017and brother, Charles Holt Jr. (2024).She is survived by her brother, Stroud Holt, her daughters Suzanne Castro-Miller (Steve,) Joni Miller (Stan), and step children Robert Williams (Becky),

Matt Williams (Tricia), Becca McGill (Joel), Amy Ringstaff (Chris), 20 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

The memorial service will be held at Cozine Life Events Center at 10am on Saturday August 15, 2026.