Barbara Jean Yagle

Barbara Jean Yagle “Beloved Mother, Grandmother, and Dear Friend”

SHINGLEHOUSE, Pa.---Barbara Jean Yagle, 93, of Shinglehouse, Pa., passed away peacefully on Monday, September 28, 2020, at Lakeview Healthcare and Rehabilitation, Smethport, having moved there recently from her home in Shinglehouse, where she had lived for over 30 years.

Barbara was born in North Tonawanda, N.Y. on May 4, 1927 to Holden and Velma Jacobs Mansfield. She married Jay Yagle in Buffalo. He has since predeceased her. She later married John Corbett, who has also since predeceased her.

Barbara graduated from North Tonawanda High School, received a degree in Psychology from the University of Buffalo and her Master’s degree in Counseling from Canisius College in Buffalo. She served as a guidance counselor at Mt. St. Joseph Academy in Buffalo. She was part owner of a Stretch and Sew Store in West Seneca, N.Y. She also worked for Displaced Homemakers in Buffalo. After moving to Pennsylvania, she worked as a Career Counselor at St. Bonaventure University and served as head of Career Counseling at the University until her retirement in 1995.

Barbara was an outstanding cook and enjoyed sharing her creations and recipes with family and friends. On of her favorite pastimes was perusing her hundreds of cookbooks looking for new recipes to try. She was an avid gardener, especially vegetables which often went into her creations. She was a birdwatcher, participating in the Cornell Feeder and Bird Watch for many years. She was also a talented seamstress.

As a younger person she participated in badminton, tennis, and some cross country skiing and hiking in the woods around her home. In her later years, her mobility was limited but she enjoyed going out to dinner with friends and going to the Oswayo Valley Senior Center in Shinglehouse for bingo, where she first played it and said she never seemed to win.

She was most appreciative of and grateful for the care and support given by the aides, nurses and therapists of Charles Cole Home Health while she was still home and the staff of Lakeview when she moved there.

She is survived by her sons, Jeffrey (Martha) Yagle of Buffalo and Johnathan (Gail) Yagle of Amesbury, Massachusetts; two granddaughters, Alex and Sammy; a great-granddaughter, Peyton; and a longtime dear friend and companion, Cindy Zembryki.

Barbara was predeceased by her beloved dog pals, Beth, Ben, and Emmy, whom she hoped to meet again over the Rainbow Bridge.

At the request of Barbara and the family, there will be no viewing or visitation. There will be a celebration of her life at a later time to be announced. She will be interred next to her parents in White Chapel Cemetery in Amherst, N.Y.

Memorials may be made in her name to the Oswayo Valley Memorial Library, PO Box 188, Shinglehouse, PA 16748; to the Shinglehouse Ambulance Association, PO Box 98, Shinglehouse, PA 16748; or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Barbara’s care has been entrusted to her friend, Kevin J. Dusenbury, funeral director/owner of the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse.

To express condolences or share a fond memory of Barbara, please visit www.virgillhowardfuneralhome.com or the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home Facebook page.