Roxanna Patricia Isenberg, 87, West Plains, Missouri, passed away at 5:02 p.m., Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at West Vue Nursing Center.
She was born October 31, 1937, at Palo Alto, California, to Alexander Isenberg and Madalyn Jeffery Isenberg. Roxanna enjoyed riding and showing horses in her early years and in 1955, she was honored as Queen of the Rodeo at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California. She graduated from college in 1957 before marrying Thomas Auger. It was during this time she learned how to drive a truck. She and Thomas had three children, Taralyn, Tommy and Tina. After their divorce, she met Billy Kirby, who she later married. During their marriage she worked as the subscription editor of the New Woman’s Magazine in Miami, Florida. In 1994 they moved to West Plains, Missouri. During her time in West Plains, Roxanna worked with Gammill Sewing Center and Six Sisters, teaching quilting and sewing classes. She also served the community as a volunteer at the Lanton Fire Department, serving on the board. Roxanna had a passion for helping people, whether it was serving on the fire department, organizing fundraisers or making quilts and blankets for people in need after natural disasters such as the Joplin tornado and Hurricane Katrina. She was an inspiration to those around her and had a way of bringing out the best in people. This was especially the case with her bonus grandchildren, Kevin Farris and Kialy Farris-Boone.
She is survived by three children, Taralyn Balla and husband, John, Tommy Auger and Tina Bryant; four grandchildren; two bonus grandchildren, Kevin Farris and Kialy Farris-Boone; several great-grandchildren; one sister, Renny Tenney; and several nieces and nephews.
Her parents and first husband, Thomas Auger, preceded her in death.
Arrangements under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.
