What brought Barbie to Piasecki Funeral Home is the focus on personalization. While the team performs traditional services, they also handle unique requests, such as displaying cars and motorcycles in the chapel. They help families fulfill any creative idea they conceive. One day, Barbie hopes a family takes her up on the idea of grilling out at a memorial service. She enjoys seeing the creative aspects families incorporate, like having a tractor by the fireplace or using an Igloo cooler to display flowers.

For Barbie, the most rewarding part of helping families is bringing a moment of unexpected relief: getting them to smile or laugh. Her approach to work is guided by personal experience; as a widow, she knows the scattered feeling and heart-wrenching pain of loss. She wants families to know she will dedicate all the time they need. The most important lesson she has learned is that everyone and every family is different.

Outside of work, Barbie focuses on her life in the Kenosha area, which includes gardening, her three children, and two playful ferrets. She enjoys walking by the lake and meeting friends and family at local spots like Ron’s Place and La Fogata. When she considers her legacy, she simply hopes people remember she was kind and able to help them in their time of need.