Bobbi Barrasso

Bobette Kay (Bobbi) Brown Barrasso died on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, following a heroic two-year battle with a Glioblastoma brain tumor.

She remained optimistic and courageous to the very end.  She left the earth looking forward to being with her parents and God in heaven.

She leaves behind her daughter Hadley, her husband John and faithful friends far and wide.

Bobbi was born in Thermopolis, Wyoming on July 20, 1953 to Robert and Jeralyn Brown.   She was raised with a love of God, family and country.  Her father was the Thermopolis Postmaster and her mother’s family owned and operated the Wigwam Bakery.

Bobbi was a success in everything she attempted due to hard work and a positive attitude.  At Hot Springs County High School, she won the Youth Citizenship Award given by the Soroptimist Club.  The scholarship is based on “service, dependability, leadership, goals and good citizenship in the home, school and community.”  That defines Bobbi’s life.

She learned to make her own clothing and was a talented seamstress.   Her homemade wardrobe won her statewide acclaim being named “Miss make it yourself with wool” by the Wyoming Woolgrowers Association.

At the University of Wyoming, Bobbi was a joiner and a doer.  She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority where she served as the Vice-President for Moral Advancement and later as Sorority President.  She was crowned University Homecoming Queen her senior year and graduated with a degree in speech pathology.

After college it was off to Washington D.C. for five years as a member of the Wallop Senate team.

Bobbi returned to Wyoming and managed the successful campaign by Thermopolis’s Stan Smith for Wyoming State Treasurer. She then moved to Jackson where she made ends meet by working one job at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and another selling ads for the Jackson Hole Guide.  

Bobbi loved policy, politics and public service. As a result, she moved to Casper as the Assistant Director of the Wyoming Heritage Society and Foundation.   From there it was back to Laramie to attend and graduate from the University of Wyoming School of Law.  She worked her way through law school by serving as house mother of her beloved Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Bobbi’s commitment and service to Wyoming continued when she began working for Congressman and then Senator Craig Thomas.   She served as his state director until the time of his death in 2007.

The high point in Bobbi’s life was the birth of her daughter Hadley Brown Bryans.  From that day forward, Hadley was the apple of her mother’s eye and the center of her universe.  Bobbi was always there for school performances and sports activities. Whenever a parent volunteer was needed, Bobbi was first to raise her hand.

Bobbi lived the life described in Isaiah 6:8.  In the verse the Lord asks, Whom shall I send.  Bobbi was always first to respond “Here I am, send me”  

Bobbi’s commitment to her faith, her family, and her community never wavered.   She always saw herself as a caregiver.   She was also a doer and a goer. She chaired the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra board and organized concerts on the top of Casper Mountain.

She was active in PEO and was an early participant in Leadership Wyoming.   

In 2003 Bobbi was diagnosed with breast cancer.   Following surgery, radiation, chemo and complete recovery, she intensified her promotion of early detection and early treatment. Bobbi played an instrumental role in the Angels program in Casper for cancer patients. She went on to become a founding member of the Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative.

On January 1, 2008, Bobbi married John Barrasso in Thermopolis, Wyoming.   They became a family of five with Hadley, Peter and Emma. As Senator and Mrs. Barrasso, John and Bobbi crisscrossed Wyoming and places beyond, sharing the beauty and philosophy of the Cowboy State.

Bobbi made lifelong friends wherever she went.  She was active in Washington D.C. with the Senate spouses, helped organize the First Lady’s lunch, and loved her time as President of the International Neighbors Club One.

In spite of being friends with Presidents and world leaders, she was most happy at home in Wyoming.  She loved every corner of the state and all of the land and people in between.

Bobbi Barrasso will be forever remembered for being vibrant, attractive, and brilliant.  She fought her cancer with Wyoming tenacity, grit and grace.  

She is survived by her younger brother Mike, and many loving cousins.

The family is forever grateful to the remarkable friends and compassionate caregivers who surrounded Bobbi in her final months.    Special thanks to Mel Kraft and her entire dedicated care team at Mel’s Helping Hands.  We are eternally grateful for the enduring friendship of Rebecca Sedar, Susan Anderson, Linda Nix, Mitzi Knapp, Vicki Berger, Trudi Holthouse, Laurie Heath and Judy Murray.  Finally, Bobbi was blessed to benefit from the care, comfort, and compassion provided by Central Wyoming Hospice.

Services will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, February 3, 2024, at Highland Park Community Church, Casper, WY. Services will be livestreamed and may be viewed via this link: Service Livestream (the video will go live approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the service).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wyoming Breast Cancer Initiative, and Central Wyoming Hospice and Transitions.

Arrangements are being handled by Bustard’s Funeral Home in Casper.