Barbara (Peifer) Miller Smyzer, 85, a resident of Tel Hai in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on January 30, 2026.
Born on November 9, 1940, in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, Barb was raised in Lancaster County, where she spent much of her life before living for several years in Largo, Florida. She later relocated to Chester County to be closer to her family, where she lived for the past 30 years.
Barb attended Ephrata High School and graduated from William Penn High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She continued her education at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, where she studied nursing.
Throughout her life, Barb held a wide range of jobs, including serving as a guide for both domestic and international tours and working in the travel industry. She ultimately owned and operated a full-service travel agency in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Later in life, she worked at the adult day care center and the rehabilitation facility at Tel Hai for a number of years before fully retiring.
Barb was generous and kind, selflessly giving her time, talents, and resources to help and encourage others. She was an active member of Hopewell United Methodist Church for more than 20 years, serving on committees, participating in volunteer and small group activities, and faithfully attending Bible studies whenever possible. She deeply loved her church family and often spoke about the welcoming community and meaningful work being done through Hopewell. In recent years, Barb found great pleasure through being an instructor of the English Language for non-English speaking members of the community.
Barb loved to travel and experienced most of the 48 continental states. She took and led multiple trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and Nova Scotia, and made many visits to Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the former Soviet Union. She loved recounting stories of her travels and the many beautiful places she had seen. Most recently she traveled to South Africa, with a missionary team from Hopewell, to build housing for orphans and vulnerable children in partnership with Mosiac SA, a South African nonprofit that that supports family-based orphan care.
She loved being outdoors and appreciated all the beauties of God’s creation. When she was able, she was a prolific gardener and was convinced that the best vegetables were the ones she grew and harvested. She also enjoyed nature and birds and would often identify the birds she saw or heard for those around her. Barb was a lover of classical music and a season ticket holder of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra for many years.
Barb adored her grandsons and was immensely proud of each of them. She treasured every opportunity to spend time with them and rarely missed any of their events, whether it was youth baseball, a school play, a soccer match, or even a freezing cold football game in late December.
She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Ulmer, and her husband, John, of Downingtown; her son, Matthew Miller, and his wife, Heather, of Wyomissing; and her grandsons, Derek Ulmer and fiancée Caroline, Ryan Ulmer, Jack Miller, and Jamie Miller. Barb will be deeply missed by many, especially her family.
Friends may call with the family from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Hopewell United Methodist Church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, with a funeral service to follow at 11:00 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to Mosaic SA, 64 E. Uwchlan Avenue #B274, Exton, PA 19341 or https://tinyurl.com/2026Mosaic...
For additional information and to share online condolences, please visit https://www.thelabsfh.com.
Arrangements by The Labs Funeral Home of Honey Brook, PA.