Barbara Joanne Lipp

Barbara Joanne (Sladich) Lipp of Delaware, OH, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on October 1st, 2025, at the Kobacker House in Columbus, OH at 76 years old. She was born on February 23, 1949, to Caroline Gorscak and Alvin Sladich at The Memorial Hospital of Monongahela, Pennsylvania. She was lovingly raised by her aunt and uncle, Anna and Anton Blatnik of Fayette City, PA (a place she called the Hollow), alongside her brothers, John, Tom, Anthony “T” and Matthew “George” Blatnik, and sisters, Josephine Blatnik and Fran (Blatnik) Winn.

Voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by the 1967 Senior Class of Bell Vernon Area High School in Bell Vernon, PA, we are happy to report she exceeded the prediction made by her peers all those years ago. Known as Barb by all who loved her, she attended the University of Pittsburgh from 1967-1971, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She began her nursing career in 1971 at West Penn Psychiatric Hospital of UPMC before moving to Reynoldsburg, OH, in 1978, continuing her career at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, OH, until her retirement in 2016 after working there for 34 years.

To Barb, her greatest successes were her three children, whom she adored: Melissa (Lipp) Flanagan, born in 1972; Jeffrey Lipp, born in 1979; and Stacey (Lipp) Kern, born in 1980. In addition, Barb was an amazing grandmother to her six grandchildren: Jordan (Cuccarese) Schambs, Jared Cuccarese, Jess Lipp, Riley Kern, Shiloh Lipp, and Whitney Lipp, and two great grandchildren, Addisyn and Hunter Schambs. She was a loving and constant presence in all of their lives. She was the most fun babysitter and made every holiday and birthday special for all those she loved. Further, she made a profound impact on the spouses of her children and grandchildren, Michael Flanagan, Jamie (Marple) Lipp, Mark Kern, and Mitchell Schambs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Football Organization will never find a greater fan than Barb. She spent her years weathering the frigid elements of a January playoff game in Pittsburgh, or sitting as close to her television as possible to watch the game. Barb was forever rooting for her “boys” to win, win, win! A cherished memory of hers was seeing the Immaculate Reception live at the game in 1972 at Three Rivers Stadium, just one week before giving birth to her first daughter, Melissa. Never a fair-weather fan, Barb recorded every game and watched them on repeat, analyzing every detail as if she were just the coach the team had been waiting for. She watched her final Steelers game with her grandson, Jared, on September 14th, 2025. As far as her family is concerned, the next Steelers Super Bowl win is for Barb.

Barb was preceded in death by her parents and siblings but most recently her sister, Fran Winn. Upon her death, Barb’s family celebrated her privately in all the ways she would have loved. We would be remiss not to mention her love for her favorite singer, Harry Styles. In the words of one of her favorite songs, without you here, Barb (Mom, Grammy, Gi Gi, Memaw), “You know it’s not the same as it was.”

She is greatly missed and forever loved.