SANTA BARBARA, CA – Barbara Winona (Walters) Milliken passed away peacefully after a prolonged battle with heart disease at her home in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. She was born in Winnsboro, South Carolina on December 7, 1936. Barbara lived in Oakmont, PA for many years, and also in Seattle, Washington and Santa Barbara, California.
Barbara is survived by her four children, Terrie Milliken, Homer Alan Milliken, III, Pamala Temple, and Michael Milliken (and wife Amy), her six grandchildren, Sarah (and husband Barry) Mayer, Maria Lucjak, Melissa Lucjak, Emerson Temple, Chloe Milliken, Van Milliken, and her great grandson Jaxson Mayer. Barbara, the youngest of five, was predeceased by her father Thornell Walters and mother Myrtle Walters, brothers William “Billy”, Grady, Homer “Peanut” Lendell, and sister Ganelle “Gay” Walters.
Many people know Barb from tennis, a sport she was passionate about well beyond her 80th birthday. She spent as much time on the court as she did with friends and family. She traveled the country playing in hundreds of matches and tournaments making lifelong friends as she went. A fierce competitor, she was famous for her lobs and drop shots, but also for her warm smile and mischievous wink. Her tennis friends describe her as “fun-loving,’ with a ‘wicked sense of humor,’ and ‘so easy to love.’
Barb loved to host and entertain guests. The guests might have been family, friends from tennis, friends from down the street, friends of friends. It didn’t matter who was there, she loved being around people. And she knew A LOT of people who called her friend, or cousin, or aunt, or sister, or mom, or nana, or beautiful Barb.
She was also an entrepreneur with a passion for working with people. After raising her children, she attended beauty school with Terrie, her eldest daughter. Not content with just cutting and styling hair, she started her own salon, The Hair Shoppe of Etna, PA (outside of Pittsburgh, PA). Clients flocked to the little shop in a post-industrial mill town for over 25 years.
Barb was good at practically any physical endeavor she applied herself to. You could sense her athletic acumen from just looking at her. She was tall, sleek, tan, strong, and beautiful. She was stylish without effort. She lived and died with elegance and grace.
Barbara will be buried in Royal Pines Cemetery next to her parents Myrtle and Thornell on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Santa Barbara Tennis Patrons (www.sbtennispatrons.com). A celebration of life brunch will be held on Sunday, February 20, 2022 at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club.
