Barbara Burros

Barbara Burros, 78 of Evansville, passed away Friday, July 24, 2026, at Maplewood Manor in Elbow Lake.

Barbara Jean was born on March 29, 1948, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was the second of the 4 children of Robert Avery Truax and Mary Elizabeth Wagner. The family moved to Duluth, Minnesota where Barbara attended school, graduating from Cathedral High School in 1966. She met her future husband Duaine Burros after moving from Duluth to St. Paul and they were married on April 19, 1969, in South Dakota.

She became a Licensed Practical Nurse and started an over 40-year career caring for others. In 1980 she returned to school and obtained her associate degree as a Registered Nurse. Caring for others and teaching were her two biggest passions in life. She taught countless patients how to manage their diabetes both in her job at different facilities as well as through her volunteer work at the American Diabetes Association’s Camp Needlepoint in Hudson, Wisconsin. She would take vacation time from her job every summer throughout most of the 1990’s and spend weeks at the summer camp for diabetic kids as a camp nurse.

She quietly financially supported St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota for years. In return she received countless dream catchers, rosaries and other treasures that the school would send her in the mail.

Speaking of caring for others, it’s nearly impossible to remember all the kids she cared for throughout her life. She and her husband were foster parents to many kids in the 1970’s and 1980’s. They opened their home to foster kids, nieces, nephews, my friends and many others offering stability, love and structure whenever it was needed.

Barb had a deep faith and trusted in God in the best way. She was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Forest Lake, Minnesota for many years where she sent her kids to school and put in many hours as a volunteer. After moving to Evansville, she found a faith community at St. Olaf Church in Elbow Lake, Minnesota where she was active as a lector and vacation bible school volunteer. When life began to slow down for her, she offered her time to the community by ironing church linens and the priest’s vestments. She was able to help in this way until pretty recently.

Barb loved to travel and have a good time. She was an extremely hard worker, but when it came to her free time, she was just as serious about spending it well. She loved to read, sew, bake, play cards and work in her garden. She and Duaine traveled as often as they could throughout their lives. When I was younger, we camped and visited family in Duluth and Evansville. When I was a teenager, we lived in whichever state my dad was working in which took us to Las Vegas, New Mexico and a town in North Dakota with a population of less than 30. And finally, Barb and Duaine found a second home and loving community of friends over the 13 years that they spent their winters in Mission, Texas.

She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Robert and Bill, sister Betty, niece Chrissy and nephew Tony.

She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Duaine, daughters Theresea (Mike) and Colleen (Brien), granddaughters Lauren, Lydia and Genevieve. A ton of nieces and nephews and all their children. Sisters-in-law Roberta Truax and Elaine Schwartz as well as many lifelong friends.

I believe my mom understood a couple of simple truths. The greatest gift we can give to each other is giving of ourselves. No one has ever felt worse about themselves after helping someone else. Whether she taught you to bake or sew or shared any other of the other million things she was good at with you, carry it on. Find something you care deeply about and offer your time, talent or treasure just like she did.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, August 1, 2026, at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Elbow Lake, with visitation starting at 12:00 noon until the time of the service.

A Private Family Burial will be held at Mound Grove Cemetery in Evansville.

Arrangements by Glende-Nilson Funeral Home.