Barbara J. (Strowbridge) Vandeputte

It was while surrounded by family and friends that Barbara Jean Vandeputte, 84, died peacefully on April 9, 2024. With the compassionate care from Home Instead, Barbara was able to remain in her beloved home on Brainerd’s Gilbert Lake until near the end of her life.

Barbara was born in Bemidji, MN on March 25, 1940 to Lila and Herbert Strowbridge. She spent most of her childhood in Brainerd and graduated from Washington High School. It was while attending the College of St. Catherine that she was first introduced to James Vandeputte, whose charisma and charm quickly won her over. Upon marriage, Barbara shifted her career goal to a loving focus on her husband and her three children, for whom she would have given the whole world. While the family was young, Barbara took on a fun side job or two modeling for Volkswagen, and once her children were grown, she worked at the local Herberger’s department store. In later years, she was most content watching cardinals from her bay window, shopping for unique gifts on QVC or online, reading books, adhering to the advice of Oprah Winfrey, collecting ceramic shoes, spending time with her grandchildren, caring for and cuddling with her grandpups, Mate and Oakley, and getting massages from her dear friend Debbie Endres. Her values stemmed from a lifetime of Catholicism; she accepted and showed compassion to all people, but she especially advocated for the marginalized, the sick, and the suffering. When she lost her beloved son, she tirelessly fought for ethical treatment of mental health illnesses.

Barbara is survived by her loving husband of 63 years, James Vandeputte, her daughter and best friend, Debra Vandeputte, her devoted son, Chris Vandeputte, and her “baby” brother, Jeff Strowbridge, as well as her cherished grandchildren Olivia, Ryan, Coltan (Ashley), Kalina, and Kyler, nieces, nephews, and friends. Waiting to greet her in Heaven are her parents, Lila and Herbert Strowbridge, her brothers Ron Strowbridge (Gini) and Tom Strowbridge (Lynn), and her dearly missed son Steve (Wendy & Kathleen). Barbara has been entrusted to Nelson-Doran; she will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery, and a memorial will be at a later date.

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