Barbara Nitecki-Soules

Barbara L. Nitecki-Soules, age 83, beloved mother to her own children and many more drum corps babies, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2025, after a courageous 3-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on April 29, 1941, in Warren, MI, Barbara raised her family in Linden, MI. She also spent other times of her life in Fenton, MI, Lima, OH, Erlanger, KY, Alaska, AK, and Wolverine, MI, although she had a problem with that name as her blood was MSU green.

Barbara graduated as valedictorian from Warren High School in 1959 and was a proud graduate of Michigan State University Class of 1964. In fact, her degree, a BA in Executive Secretarial, was the last graduating class at MSU for such a degree. With her degree in hand, she went to work for General Motors. In 1966 she married James Michael Soules, whom she met at her future sister-in-law’s wedding, who just happened to live across the hall from her in Lansing, MI, and they started their family, eventually building a little house in Linden on a dead-end dirt road.

Barbara was very involved in the Linden, MI community while raising her three children. She was on the Committee and one of the Founders of the Linden Summer Happening, she was a Girl Scout leader of Troop 822 and was with her charges from 2nd grade until they graduated high school (who remembers the Boblo Trip?), and then later trained others to be leaders through the Council. She was on the Linden Band Boosters, Athletic Boosters, ran the concession stand, and always seemed to be at the school. As a “stay at home mom” she was never at home! She was always on the go - carting kids to baton lessons, t ball games, baseball games, soccer games, going to marching band competitions, basketball games, track meets - all while cheering her kids on.

Music was a big part of her life. From making cassette recordings of all her kids’ band concerts (I believe we still have some if you want them!), to being the Lima Area Concert Band music librarian later in life, she was always in the thick of it. And boy, did she love the Beatles, especially Sir Paul. Her daughter never saw her happier then when they saw him in concert in Milwaukee. She had her beloved Meet the Beatles album framed in her bedroom and looked at it every day.

However, her involvement with Star of Indiana Drum & Bugle Corps from Bloomington, IN was her special musical place. Not only was she with her children following them across the country, traveling on coach buses through the night and sleeping on gym floors, she became Momma Soules to hundreds of other young adults. She started cooking for the corps (even before the kitchen truck was built!) but her talents were needed in sewing. She sewed and altered hundreds of uniforms over the years, sewed thousands of appliques on umbrellas and flags, and made sure everyone looked their best before taking the field. She was involved with the corps from 1986-1993 and continued for a few years after when they left the field and moved into a stage arena, eventually becoming BLAST!

Mom had lots of hobbies: she was a “collector” of Mary Kay, a hoarder of yarn, never threw anything out, and saved every newspaper article she thought her kids would be in, or anyone she ever knew. And she lived vicariously through Facebook! With multiple moves away from family and friends, she loved seeing her Linden, Star, and various stray “kids” pictures with their own families.

One of her happy places was near water. The family took vacations to all kinds of lakes in Michigan over the years and she spent a few days at Lake Michigan last fall. From babies in diapers enclosed in baby gates half in the water, half on the sand, to sunbathing with her sister and sisters-in-laws, to eating fresh caught bluegill and perch that day…she loved it all.

Barbara was proceeded in death by her parents George & Agnes (Kraszewski) Nitecki, brother George Nitecki, son James Randolph Soules, and granddaughter Mary Elizabeth Soules. She is survived by her daughter Lorine Michelle (Rick) Valenzuela from Lake in the Hills, IL; son Brian Kendall (Jessica) from Verona, KY; 5 grandchildren, Nicholas, Christopher, Kendall, Taylor, and Zachary; sister Sandra Pratt from Dallas, TX; sister-in-law Jackie Nitecki from Auburn, IN; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

We’d like to thank the doctors and nurses who have been amazing through all of this. From Lima to Indianapolis to Erlanger, everyone worked hard and loved mom. A special thanks to St. Elizabeth Hospice that helped the end seem like her new beginning, and her grandson Kendall who was the main caregiver for his beloved Baci.

She was a cancer survivor, until she wasn’t.

A visitation will be held at Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, Erlanger, KY on Monday, March 31, 2025, at 10:30am with a funeral Mass to follow at 11:30am. The family will also be holding a Celebration of Life at a later day.

In lieu of flowers, we encourage you to donate to Jonnie’s Goodguys at https://jonniesgoodguys.org or the Lima Area Concert Band at https://limaareaconcertband.org in Barbara’s name.

Wherever she is now, we hope it’s with family and friends that have gone before her, sitting by the water with her toes in the sand.