After a long battle with Alzheimer's, Barbara "Barb" Lee Flagstad (Shallow) went peacefully to her eternal rest while surrounded by her loving family. Barbara was born in Green Bay on May 18, 1933, to the late Richard and Celina (Whitens) Shallow. She proudly earned her B.S. in Nursing from St. Joseph Academy and worked for many years at hospitals and nursing home facilities.

Barb married Joseph Barlow McCoy, a veteran of the Signal Battalion of the United States Army, and together they had two sons, Michael and Mark McCoy. Sadly, Barb and the boys lost Joseph far too soon to pancreatic cancer. Fortunately, Barb was later introduced to, and married, Oscar Flagstad, Jr., a BT2 veteran of the United States Navy. Together, Barb and Oscar raised the boys and went on to have many happy years together until his untimely passing in November 1987 from lung cancer.

Always a loving caregiver, Barb cared not only for those at her places of employment, but for those whom she cherished most–her family. Barb was always the first to help out and support her family whenever they needed her. She also helped raise her two beloved granddaughters for many of their early years and continued to provide love, kindness, and sage advice (with a little bit of spending money here and there) for many years after.

Despite losing two husbands, Barb always found ways to laugh and have a good time. She loved drawing from an early age and proudly displayed her favorite drawings in frames throughout her home. She was also a collector of Precious Moments figurines, Hummels, depression glass, silver collector spoons from her travels around the world, and jewelry; her weekly trips to ShopKo almost always resulted in a jewelry purchase of some kind. Barb also loved babies and would have loved watching her four great-grandchildren grow up. And then there was ice cream: Barb never met a flavor of ice cream she didn't like. In her final years, she was known to skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner and go straight for dessert. Because she had earned it, we all happily obliged.

A devout Catholic, Barb was a longtime member at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Green Bay. Always humming timeless gospel hymns, Barb loved listening to Bill Gaither and the Gaither Vocal Band and would play "The Bells of St. Mary's" on the piano for anyone who would listen.

One thing Barb was known for was her ear-piercing whistle. If Barb wanted your attention, she certainly got it with her signature whistle. When she had kids, she whistled so loudly to call them home that she was heard from blocks away. Later in life, Barb's whistle became famous at her longtime home at Care For All Ages. Residents and caretakers would marvel at her whistle whenever they heard it from down the hall or upstairs. She would even quiet the dining room with it and found it very amusing, to say the least.

Barb will always be remembered as a kind, gentle, and giving soul who blessed us all with her generosity, compassion, sharp (and sometimes sassy) humor, infectious laugh, and happy memories that will last a lifetime. She is survived by two sons, Mike (Carrie) McCoy and Mark McCoy; two grandchildren, Angela (Scott) Truskowski and Ashley (Jonathan) Beavers; and four great-grandchildren, Sophie Truskowski, Evie Truskowski, Halston Beavers, and Asher Truskowski.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Celina (Whitens) Shallow; husbands, Joseph McCoy and Oscar Flagstad, Jr.; brothers, Dick Shallow and Gerry Shallow; and sister, Mary Shallow.

Barb's family would like to thank the chaplains and nurses at Unity Hospice, along with Rachel and the caretakers at Care For All Ages for the loving care they provided for the past six years until her passing.

A Celebration of Life will take place at Pfotenhauer Funeral Home, 1145 Cardinal Ln., Green Bay, WI, 54313 on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, from 4:00-6:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any monetary donations be given to the Alzheimer's Association in their effort to find a cure at act.alz.org.