Barbara Ann Slinker

Barbara Ann Dahm Slinker
November 26, 1941 – June 15, 2026

Barbara was the sixth of seven children born to Henry and Minnie (Van Roekel) Dahm — and the only one who arrived with black hair. In a sea of redheads, she stood out from her first breath. Her older brother Arnie's earliest memory of her was their father loading up the kids and driving to the hospital in Oskaloosa just to see the baby with black hair. Her Dutch family had a word for it: zwartkop — "black head." She never entirely forgot the teasing.

Barb grew up in the tiny town of Peoria, Iowa, across the road from Dahm's General Store, until the age of nine. The family then moved to a farm outside of Pella, remaining rooted in the close-knit world of the Christian Reformed Church and the Pella Christian Schools. During her years at PCHS, she was a cheerleader, a soprano in the choir, a library aide, and a member of pep club.

She married Ron Van Englehoven in August of 1959, a few months after graduating high school. Their family grew with the arrival of daughters Suzanne in 1960, Shawna in 1962, and Nikki in 1970. The family lived in several farm homes around Knoxville, Leighton, and Pella before finding a home overlooking Pella's “Swimming Pool Park” in 1968.

Barb continued to enjoy singing in choir and spending time at the lanes with friends in her bowling league. Those years held simple, lasting pleasures for her and the girls: summer afternoons at the Pella swimming pool, evenings at the Osky drive-in followed by an A&W root beer float, weekly trips to the Pella Public Library, and Sunday nights with homemade pizza watching Walt Disney and Bonanza on television.

Ron's work pulled him further away over time, and Barb held things together the way women of that era often did — without much fanfare. When the marriage ended in 1973, Barb did something that took real courage in small-town, early-'70s Iowa and in the Christian Reformed world she had grown up in: she left. Not bitterly — practically. She packed up her three daughters and moved to Des Moines in August of 1973, wanting a fresh start somewhere people weren't watching her every move. In February 1974, she married Phil Slinker Jr., and the next chapter began.

She stepped warmly into a blended family that included Phil's children, Susan and David, and embraced Phil's world of sports and Corvettes with enthusiasm. Barbara was the Corvette Club of Iowa's secretary for many years, producing its newsletters and loving the rallies. She was a familiar face at high school and college sporting events across the metro, at home among coaches, their wives, and the whole lively social orbit Phil moved through. She tolerated Phil's jazz. She drew the line at Lawrence Welk. She had her own eclectic soundtrack. They attended more high school football games than most people see in a lifetime, traveled, served on a mission trip to Haiti, attended Meredith Drive Reformed Church, and spent summer vacations at Lake Vermillion, Minnesota.

Barb managed the books for Phil's business, and in 1984 took a part-time position as secretary at Valley High School, supporting the band and vocal music programs. She continued in that role for nearly 30 years.

In retirement, Barbara discovered something she had not always had: a life entirely of her own choosing. When it was time to sell the family home, she set her sights on a specific townhome community — the Carriage Homes — and secured exactly the unit she wanted. She chose her own car for the first time. She volunteered at the Des Moines Playhouse, where her devotion earned her the Dionysus Volunteer of the Year award in 2017. She looked forward every month to joining her siblings on Zoom. She loved going to the movies and lunching with her Carriage Homes friends. Her love of reading continued throughout her life.

For her 80th birthday, the children threw her a surprise celebration they called "Barb-a-palooza" — and she was, as always, thrilled to be the center of attention.

Her faith, rooted in the Christian Reformed tradition of her Pella childhood, remained the unshaken foundation of her life through every season — through loss and rebuilding, through joy and hardship, through the long quiet years and the loud celebrated ones. She was devoted to her Bible and to scripture until the very end.

Barb had a small stroke in September of 2025. A fall in December put her back in the hospital, and she never made it back home. She spent her final months at Calvin Community under Hospice care, passing on June 15 at the age of 84. Her final resting place is with her husband Phil at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Section 3, Site 32.

Barb is survived by her children, Suzanne Van Englehoven-Wedeking (Michael Wedeking), Shawna Van Englehoven (Kevin Dorr), "Susie" Susan Slinker Dale (Patrick Dale), David Slinker (Heidi Raymond Slinker), and "Nikki" Nicole Van Englehoven-Toal (Patrick Toal); grandchildren, Corey Wedeking (Jenny Cabanayan), "Lizzie" Elizabeth Dale-Veulemans (Jens Veulemans), "Annie" Catherine Dale, Lauren Slinker Chaplin (Jake Chaplin), and Sara Slinker; great-grandchildren, Noah Wedeking, Tatum Neely, Natalie Willis, and Carter Cabanayan; siblings, John and Sandi Dahm, Norma and Ron Hiemstra, and Erma and Al Guise; plus many beloved nieces, nephews, and friends.

She was preceeded in death by Her husband, Philip D. Slinker Jr.; parents, Henry and Minnie Dahm; and her siblings and their spouses Marjorie and Rich Fopma, Arnold and Susan Dahm, and Ruth and Ted De Vries.

Memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, August 14, 2026 at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, IA with a visitation and light lunch following the service. For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed and available at the end of the obituary. Family burial at 2:00 p.m. at Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter, Iowa Section 3, Site 32.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to one of Barb’s favorite charity: Des Moines Playhouse, Iowa PBS, Valley School Marchmasters or any Public Library.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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