Barbara Lee (Swope) Abbott

Barbara Lee Abbott, 78, died peacefully Saturday, May 20, 2023, at her home in Summerville with her daughters, brother and sister-in-law around her. At her request, there will not be a service.

Barbara Lee Swope was born April 14, 1945, in Salem, Ore., to Robert Jack Tillman Swope and Margaret Marie Delsman Swope. She grew up with her older brother, Marshall, in various places, wherever their father found available work. Among some of those places were Salem, Depot Bay, and Arlington, where they finally settled. Here she attended Arlington High School, where she was a member of the school marching band as a majorette and a cheerleader. She graduated in 1963, and then moved to Bend in the mid-1960s. In 1981, she moved to La Grande and then later to Summerville, where Barbara lived the remainder of her life.

She was employed by the La Grande Observer, where she designed ads. In the late 1980s she owned and operated the La Grande Bible & Supply Store in downtown La Grande. She retired and closed the store in 2016.

Barbara married Robert Leroy Fairbanks in December 1963 in Clark County, Wash. They had two daughters, Bonnie Lee and Betty Lynne. The marriage was dissolved in 1981.

In September 1984, she was married to Victor Abbott in La Grande. They lived in La Grande initially and later Summerville, where Victor died in May 2020.

Barbara was a devoted Christian and an avid student of the Bible. She was an accomplished artist, and she and Vic loved to pack into the mountains with their horses and mules loaded down with supplies for camping. She also enjoyed large breed dogs and owned a dog until Victor died. They took frequent vacations to Banff, Canada with their fifth wheel recreational vehicle. Jackson Hole, Wyoming was another place they enjoyed visiting frequently.

Surviving her are her daughters, Bonnie Lee Campagna of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Betty Lynne Daline of Mesa, Arizona; stepchildren Tracy Abbott, Tim Abbott, Randall Abbott, and Shari Shaffer. Also surviving her is her brother, Marshall Swope; and 18 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her parents and her husband.