Barbara R. Kasuboski was born in Southwest Detroit to Harry and Helen in 1949. She grew up in Southwest and adored her older brother, Jim. Barb attended art school at Wayne State. An avid black coffee and tea drinker, Barb explained she started drinking coffee to warm her hands after carrying art supplies on the two-bus commute to Wayne. After some time in the working world, Barb headed back to school to earn a BSN at Case Western Reserve. Although she was an atheist, Barb always said her Catholic upbringing and 12 years of parochial school drew her to service. She served patients in their homes across Detroit as a public health nurse with the Visiting Nurse Association for 20+ years. She knew the entire city without a map. In the 1990s she became a Certified Case Manager and rounded out her career advocating for patients in that role. She was a nurse and caregiver through and through. Even in the last weeks of her life she was working through exam questions to renew her nursing license, though she had retired in 2014.

Barb married Ron Abela in 1980 in a backyard wedding with flowers in her hair. Barb and Ron later welcomed their beloved daughters Rebecca and Julia. Though their marriage did not last, they loved their girls and remained friends in later life. Barb was the most attentive mother, grandmother, and mother-in law. She threw the best birthday parties, she had the most creative crafting ideas, she always listened, and she was always there when you needed her. Barb was always a safe space. She was stubborn to the end and fiercely protective of her girls. She also loved spoiling her grandchildren Jack, Joelle, and Jude.

Barb was inquisitive and a voracious reader (all the classics but especially a good murder mystery), a master gardener (she knew every plant by sight), a sly comedian (particularly when you weren’t expecting it), a delicious cook (always trying something new alongside her classics), a music lover (especially Motown and the Rolling Stones), and a cat lover and animal advocate. Although she saw fewer people as her health deteriorated, she remained warm and funny with those she let in. She is survived by her daughters Rebecca Abela (Rachel), Julia Jacob (Paul); grandchildren Jack, Joelle, and Jude; and nieces and nephews Rachel, Jamie, John, and Danielle.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Michigan Humane Society or Planned Parenthood.

Memorial to be held August 23, 2025, at the home of Julia Jacob. Text Julia or Rebecca for details.