Barbara J. Hanzlik

Barbara J. Hanzlik, age 69, of Decorah, Iowa, died on Wednesday, August 26, 2009, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN, following a sudden illness. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 31, 2009, at the Decorah Lutheran Church, in Decorah, Iowa, with Rev. Tom Pietz and Rev. Bryan Robertson presiding. Burial will be in Phelps Cemetery, Decorah, Iowa. Friends may call from 3:00-6:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Fellowship Room of the Decorah Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa, and also after 10:00 a.m. at the church on Monday morning. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Decorah Lutheran Church, 309 Winnebago Street, Decorah, IA, or to Winneshiek County Hospice, 907 Montgomery Street, Decorah, IA 52101, in memory of Barb Hanzlik. Barbara Jean (Bany) Hanzlik was born on December 11, 1939, the daughter of Oscar and June (Johnson) Bany in Tripoli, Iowa. After graduating from Tripoli High School in 1957, she attended Luther College in Decorah for two years, majoring in Music. When she left Luther, Barb moved to Waterloo, Iowa and took a job as an office manager for the Highway Commission. In the fall of 1962, she was singing at a friend’s wedding and agreed to go on a blind date with one of the groomsmen, a civil engineer from Cedar Rapids named George Hanzlik. They were married on April 21, 1963 at the Grace Lutheran Church in Tripoli, Iowa. Barb and George lived in Anamosa and Manchester before moving to Decorah in 1972. She taught piano lessons, served for many years as a secretary in the Luther College Registrar’s office, and in 1994 she turned her life-long hobby into a career by becoming a partner in Troll’s Treasures Antiques in Decorah. Barb was an avid bridge and Scrabble player, loved meeting friends for lunch at “the Teahouse” or for regular dinners out, and enjoyed traveling and taking numerous trips with George. Barb was a member of the Decorah Lutheran Church and helped found the Oneota Questers. Above all, Barb loved and enjoyed her family, but especially her three grandsons. Barb’s survivors include one son: Robert (Michelle) Hanzlik, Coon Rapids, MN, and their three sons: Samuel, Joseph and Nicholas. One daughter: Melinda Hanzlik, Chicago, IL, along with many dear friends who loved and supported her. Barb was preceded in death by her parents: Oscar and June (Johnson) Bany. Her twin sister at birth: Beatrice and her husband: George Hanzlik on June 17, 2007.