1953-2025
A beloved and generous heart stopped beating surrounded by her loving family on Oct. 1, 2025, when Barbara Ann Kastner, 72 passed away at Unity Point-Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.
Barb was born on May 26, 1953, in Perry, the daughter of Merrill and Elva (Sable) Huitt. She attended school in Perry and graduated from Perry High School with the class of 1971. On Sept. 15, 1973, Barb married her beloved husband, John Kastner. Her first job was at Northwestern Bell in Des Moines. Shortly after, she began her lifelong career of 44 years at Production Credit Services, which would later become Farm Credit Services in Perry. During her tenure at Farm Credit, she was able to earn her bachelor’s degree in business through William Penn University — an accomplishment of which she was very proud. After earning her degree, she was able to become a licensed crop insurance agent for Farm Credit.
Barb was very dedicated to her work but even more so to her friends and family. She greatly enjoyed traveling, especially when her travels took her to the beach. She always said that she needed to dip her toes in the ocean at least once a year. She traveled often with her family, friends and her sister, Betty. After retiring from Farm Credit in November of 2019, she did not slow down. Her vast knowledge of crop insurance and risk management made her a valuable resource for the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association. She served on the Guthrie County Corn Grower Board, Guthrie County Farm Bureau Board and Ag Leaders institute, ILEAD Class 10, Iowa Corn Growers Association Director, Iowa Corn Growers Association Issues Committee member, National Corn Growers Action Team member, and U.S. Grains Council Ethanol Action team member. She was exceedingly proud to be a part of these organizations, and they afforded her many opportunities to make many new friends and connections and to travel all over the U.S. and the world. She was also a long-time member of the YJB chapter of TTT.
As busy as she kept herself with all of her organizations, Barb’s number one priorities were her friends and, especially, her family. She was a devoted farm wife, mother and grandmother. She kept books, paid bills and made a million meals, even driving grain truck and grain cart in the fall. She was a proud fan of all of her five grandchildren. She especially loved to spoil them and attended as many of their events as she could. Most of all, she was exceedingly generous, and she loved people. One of her biggest brags being that she “never met a stranger.”
She will be sorely missed by her family, friends and the many, many lives she touched. She leaves behind her husband, John Kastner; daughter, Katie (Craig) Schnoor of Maquoketa; son, Cale (Anna) Kastner of Yale; brother, Larry (Sandy) Huitt of Casa Grande, Arizona; brother, Gary (Surella) Huitt of Perry; sister-in-law, Sharyn (Bill Bolton) Kastner of Arizona; brother-in-law, Tim Kastner of Guthrie Center; and five grandchildren, Sarah, Cody and Leah Kastner, and Quinn and Avery Schnoor.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Merrill and Elva (Sable) Huitt; brother, Kennith “Gene” (Norine) Huitt; and sister, Betty (Robert) Mountain.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at the Twigg Funeral Home, Panora. Burial will be in Richland Township Cemetery near Yale. Visitation will be Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. at the funeral home.