Barbara West

Barbara “Bobbie” Howell West, age 90, a lifelong resident of New Orleans, LA, passed away on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 in New Orleans after a courageous yet typically elegant battle with lymphoma. Barbara fondly known as “Chickadee” to her family, was born on October 18, 1928 in New Orleans. An only child, her parents were Ruth Wilder Howell and Gordon Metroe Howell, both pharmacists. She attended high school at Elanor McMain and later attended Newcomb College where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Medical Photography. She married George Sladovich and together they had four children, Ruth, Page, Lane and Peter. Her second marriage was to William Tompkins West who passed away in 1995 after 12 laughter-filled years together.
Barbara owned and operated several retail businesses over the years including the Prytania Mail Service, now run by her son Peter Sladovich. She was an adept business-woman, but was an artist, costumer, comedienne and mischief-maker at heart. She planted these genes in her children, who benefited from her creative and whimsical nature, as well as her fierce and steadfast love. While Bobbie spent most of her years within a few square miles in uptown New Orleans. She traveled extensively through the pages of National Geographic as a young girl, and grew up to become a dauntless and insatiable world traveler. She loved learning about world cultures and religion and collected interesting relics and art on her journeys across Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America.
She is survived by her loving children and most loyal co-conspirators in fun, Ruth Sladovich Chouest, Page Sladovich Houser, Lane Sladovich and George Peter Sladovich. She was adored by her grandchildren, Ruth Schuyler Houser, Avery Houser Orendorf, Ambrose Howell Hone and William Fabian Howell Hone. She was an inspirational fairy great-grandmother to Avery Flynn House, Paige Louise House, Colfax Elizabeth House, Daniel Wilder Orendorf and Elliott Major Orendorf, who were bestowed by Chickadee with the nicknames of Bunny, Puddin’, Sunshine, Possum and Skeeter, respectively. She was respected, loved and sometimes feared by her sons-in-law Laney Chouest, Dan Houser and Sam Hone.
She leaves many living family and friends who treasure memories of her big but light heart. They take comfort that she is busy organizing the best costume dance parties in the sky, replete with laughter. As she used to remind us, “Well-behaved women seldom make history”.
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial gathering on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm at the Lambeth House Auditorium, located at 150 Broadway St., in New Orleans.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to www.heifer.org to help fight hunger and poverty or to Smile Train at www.smiletrain.org to help with corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates.

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