Barbara (BB) Smith Wynne, whose lifelong passion for family, tennis, education and service helped shape generations of children and families across Indianapolis, died peacefully on July 18, 2026. She was 93. Born in Indianapolis on July 10, 1933, Barbara was the daughter of Dorothy and Pearson Smith. She grew up alongside her beloved sister, Patsy Kennedy, and brother, Pearson Smith (deceased). Family was always at the center of Barbara’s life, and she considered herself especially fortunate that her siblings and all six of her children made their homes in Indianapolis.
Barbara shared 63 years of marriage and countless adventures with her husband, John Wynne, who preceded her in death in 2018.Together they raised six children who remained the center of Barbara’s life: Tom who preceded her in death (Jan), Robert (Kathy, deceased), Greg (Nancy), Mary Cox (Joe), John II and Richard (Sue). She is also survived by 17 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and a large extended family. She is also preceded in death by sweet Dorothy Dotson, her beloved housekeeper and family manager (literally) who made it possible for BB to accomplish all that she did in her life.
Barbara loved bringing her family together. One of her most treasured Christmas traditions was the Wynne Family Calendar, produced by her granddaughter Wendy Cox Hasser. The calendar included photos of every family member, along with the family pets, birthdays and contact information. It was more than a calendar. It was a reflection of how much Barbara valued connection and how determined she was to keep her growing family close.
John and Barbara also loved traveling with their children and grandchildren. Barbara especially enjoyed introducing them to New York City, Broadway theatre and the US Open. She took many of her grandsons to Olympic Games around the world, creating memories that became some of her family’s most treasured stories.
Barbara attended Nora School, where she was named the girl graduate most likely to succeed, and later graduated from Shortridge High School. At Shortridge, she received the Outstanding Girl Graduate award and wrote a weekly column, “For Nit Wits Only,” for the school newspaper, the Daily Echo. She wrote the column with Nancy Browning Peterson, who also joined her in writing and producing a Shortridge vaudeville act called “The Naughty Nineties.”
Barbara credited her high school years with giving her lifelong friendships, spiritual strength, confidence and leadership skills. Those qualities would guide her throughout the rest of her life.
She attended Goucher College and graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. At Northwestern, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and was involved with Operation Evanston and the YMCA’s Foreign Students Program. She was elected to the Mortar Board, Shi-Ai and the Phi Delta Kappa education honorary. Northwestern later recognized her with its Outstanding Alumnus Award.
Tennis was one of Barbara’s greatest passions, but for her, the sport was never simply about winning. She believed tennis could build confidence, discipline, friendships and opportunity. She dedicated more than six decades to making the game accessible to children throughout Indianapolis.
Barbara played on the Central Indiana Junior Wightman Cup Team and later coached the team for 15 years. She was both the junior girls’ and women’s tennis champion at Woodstock Club, where she had learned to play as a young person. She always thought of herself first as a teacher of the sport and spent 50 years on the staff of the Indianapolis Racquet Club.
In 1964, Barbara helped establish the public tennis program that began through the Jordan YMCA and became known as the North Side Tennis Club. Over the decades, it grew and changed names, eventually becoming the Indianapolis Community Tennis Program. Barbara worked tirelessly to create a place where every child could learn the game and have the opportunity to reach his or her personal best.
In 2003, the Washington Township school district renamed its 30-court facility the Barbara S. Wynne Tennis Center in recognition of her extraordinary contributions. Barbara was proud that the public tennis complex had grown to include 34 courts, a tennis house, pavilion and modern indoor facility. Much of that work was completed alongside her longtime friend and fellow tennis leader, Sally Lugar.
In 1984, Barbara’s tennis program began the “Kids Helping Kids” charity project to benefit Riley Children’s Foundation. Through the program, young tennis players helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Riley Hospital for Children.
Barbara served as president of the Central Indiana Tennis Association and helped establish the Indianapolis chapter of the National Junior Tennis League. She served on boards and committees for the USTA Midwest Section, including as secretary, and served on both the USTA Foundation Board and the USTA Midwest Foundation.
She founded the Arthur Ashe Essay Contest on behalf of the National Junior Tennis League National Committee and served as its chair for 21 years. She also served as president of the Indianapolis Junior Tennis Development Fund for 40 years and chaired 11 Women’s Tennis Association professional tournaments in Indianapolis from 1984 through 1994.
Her many tennis honors included the Silver Bowl Volunteer Award, the NJTL Founders’ Award, the Stan Malless Award, the Mel Bergman Award and the International Tennis Hall of Fame Education Merit Award. She was inducted into both the USTA Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame and the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame.
Barbara believed families needed more than opportunities—they needed information. In 1984 she founded Indy’s Child, a magazine dedicated to connecting Central Indiana parents with educational, recreational and community resources. Her daughter, Mary Cox, joined the publication from its first issue and continues its mission as publisher more than four decades later.
Barbara received many honors during her lifetime, including Woman of the Year, Mother of the Year, the Girls Inc. Touchstone Award, the Jefferson Award and two Sagamore of the Wabash awards. She was a Twin Tony Award recipient and received the Indiana Sports Corporation’s Pathfinder Award in 1990.
In 2018, Barbara was named a Tennis Legend at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. She was deeply proud of the bronze statue created in her honor and continued volunteering at the tennis venue, where she taught red-ball tennis to children.
She was also recognized by NAMI, Heritage Place, Nora Sertoma and the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township, which honored her twice with its Superintendent’s Award. In 2020, she received an honorary North Central High School letter jacket inscribed with “Dr. of Tennis.” That same year, she was named the recipient of the Richard Lugar Athletic Program Development Award.
Barbara and John were both honored by Indiana University as members of the President’s Circle, and Northwestern University recognized Barbara as an outstanding alumnus.
Beyond tennis, Barbara was a proud 60-year member of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Carmel. She was involved with the Junior League of Indianapolis, Day Nursery Auxiliary, Clowes Hall Women’s Committee, Progressive Club, The Children’s Guardian Home Board, Saint Richard’s School Board of Directors, Fortnightly Literary Club, Trailing Arbutus Garden Club, Friends Book Club and the Jordan Family YMCA, where she served on the board at various times beginning in 1960.
Barbara’s legacy can be seen in the tennis courts she helped build, the programs she created, the children she taught, the families she served and the generations of her own family she kept connected. She lived with energy, determination and a belief that people were capable of more when someone gave them an opportunity.
Most of all, Barbara will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, teacher and friend. She loved her family fiercely, believed in the power of community and spent her life building places where others could learn, grow and belong.
All arrangements are being handled by Leppert Mortuary, 740 E 86th St. Indianapolis, IN 46240. A visitation will be held Thursday, July 23rd at the Barbara S. Wynne Tennis Center located on the North Central High School campus from 4-7pm (tennis clothes are welcome). A funeral service will be held on Friday, July 24th at Saint Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 1402 West Main Street, Carmel, IN at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Indianapolis Junior Tennis Development Fund, the organization she founded to support tennis throughout Greater Indianapolis ([https://tennisprogram.com/](https://tennisprogram.com/)) or to I.W.I.N. Foundation, an organization that supports women undergoing breast cancer treatment ([https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/IndianaWomeninNeedFoundati/iwindonation-1.html](https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/IndianaWomeninNeedFoundati/iwindonation-1.html)).
To share a memory, please visit [www.leppertmortuary.com](http://www.leppertmortuary.com). For those who can not make it, her service will be streamed on the following link – [https://stchriscarmel.org/services-sermons/](https://stchriscarmel.org/services-sermons/).
