Met Jim Henson at a party, before he hired her to voice Nanny on "Muppet Babies" (1984).
Regularly played poker with Rod Serling's family before his death.
Remained good friends with Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers, during and after "Leave It to Beaver" (1957).
She and her first husband, Glenn Billingsley, a successful restaurateur, had two sons, Drew and Glenn, Jr. Since 1974, Drew and Glenn have owned and operated Billingsley's Restaurant in West Los Angeles, in the tradition of their father, and their great uncle, Sherman Billingsley, founder of New York City's very fashionable 1940s-era nightclub, The Stork Club.
She changed her name from Combes to Billingsley, because she was married to Glenn Sr.
She followed Ronald Reagan's career, after co-starring in one of her plays, long before running for governor or president.
She had 9 hobbies including those of: gardening, dining, watching movies, listening to radio, tennis, drinking wine, spending time with her family, sewing and traveling.
She is survived by her two sons, Drew Billingsley of Granada Hills, California and Glenn Billingsley Jr. of Phillips Ranch, California.
She was a member of the Unity Church.
The Cleaver clan became the iconic 1950s American nuclear family. As the mother in the show, Barbara was often seen performing her household duties wearing complementary pearls and earrings. The pearls actually were her idea. The actress bore a noticeable surgical scar on her neck and wore a strand of pearls to conceal it from the cameras.
The youngest of three children.
Was a friend of the late Rod Serling.
When she was a little girl, Barbara's mother would often take her to the many movies she and her mother had both watched, without comedy. Her mother always loved drama.