Gary B. Ellis

Barbara Ruth Biel DiJacklin, 71, of Fountain Hills, AZ, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 24, 2025, after a seven-month battle with pancreatic cancer. 

Barbara was born January 11, 1954, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Sara Esther Stein Biel and Sol Irwin Biel. Barbara was the youngest of three children, including brother Howard Steven Biel and sister Amy Carole Biel Roviaro. She is also survived by her husband, David Arthur Di Jacklin, her sons Robert and Scott Palmisano, daughters-in-law Kristin and Rosie, and her grandson Grayson, who was born to Kristin and Robert in May 2020. 

She graduated from Belvoir Elementary School, then Wiley Junior High School, before transferring to Shaker Heights High School from which she graduated in 1974. Barbara then attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, majoring in Psychology and Sociology, graduating in 1976. After graduation, Barbara moved to Boston, Massachusetts for graduate school at Tufts University, where she earned a Master of Education degree in Psychology (Counseling).

Barbara’s career began as a Substance/Alcohol counselor at Lawrence General Hospital in Massachusetts. She met her first husband there and moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1980 where they had two sons, Robert and Scott. She received a Child Development Associates (CDA) certificate which gave her the opportunity to teach Head Start. When her marriage ended in 1994, Barbara and her sons moved to Florida where she began working for Seminole County as an in-home counselor. 

Barbara met David Di Jacklin shortly afterwards and they began dating, eventually marrying on August 9,1997. 

The family moved to Mesa, Arizona in September of that year, and Barbara began work as a substance abuse counselor at a detoxification center in South Phoenix. She then transitioned to the City of Phoenix as a substance abuse counselor, earning an Arizona Certification in Substance Abuse Counseling. Barbara retired from the city in 2011 with a disability due to complications from squamous cell carcinoma treatments.

After Robert married Kristin, and Scott married Rosie, Barbara and David sold their home in Mesa and moved to Fountain Hills in 2019 where they have since lived. 

A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at Messenger Mortuary Fountain Hills on Friday, April 4, 2025. Barbara leaves many friends and family across the country. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation to the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network would be appreciated.

Barbara Ruth Biel DiJacklin, 71, of Fountain Hills, AZ, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 24, 2025, after a seven-month battle with pancreatic cancer. 

Barbara was born January 11, 1954, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Sara Esther Stein Biel and Sol Irwin Biel. Barbara was the youngest of three children, including brother Howard Steven Biel and sister Amy Carole Biel Roviaro. She is also survived by her husband, David Arthur Di Jacklin, her sons Robert and Scott Palmisano, daughters-in-law Kristin and Rosie, and her grandson Grayson, who was born to Kristin and Robert in May 2020. 

She graduated from Belvoir Elementary School, then Wiley Junior High School, before transferring to Shaker Heights High School from which she graduated in 1974. Barbara then attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, majoring in Psychology and Sociology, graduating in 1976. After graduation, Barbara moved to Boston, Massachusetts for graduate school at Tufts University, where she earned a Master of Education degree in Psychology (Counseling).

Barbara’s career began as a Substance/Alcohol counselor at Lawrence General Hospital in Massachusetts. She met her first husband there and moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1980 where they had two sons, Robert and Scott. She received a Child Development Associates (CDA) certificate which gave her the opportunity to teach Head Start. When her marriage ended in 1994, Barbara and her sons moved to Florida where she began working for Seminole County as an in-home counselor. 

Barbara met David Di Jacklin shortly afterwards and they began dating, eventually marrying on August 9,1997. 

The family moved to Mesa, Arizona in September of that year, and Barbara began work as a substance abuse counselor at a detoxification center in South Phoenix. She then transitioned to the City of Phoenix as a substance abuse counselor, earning an Arizona Certification in Substance Abuse Counseling. Barbara retired from the city in 2011 with a disability due to complications from squamous cell carcinoma treatments.

After Robert married Kristin, and Scott married Rosie, Barbara and David sold their home in Mesa and moved to Fountain Hills in 2019 where they have since lived. 

A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at Messenger Mortuary Fountain Hills on Friday, April 4, 2025. Barbara leaves many friends and family across the country. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation to the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network would be appreciated.