MURRAY, UTAH: Adam Barber hails from Lehi, Utah and worked as an Area Manager at Jimmy John. Adam died after battling terminal cancer on October 5, 2023.
Adam was born in California to his parents Bill Barber and Bonnie Ahlstrom. Later, he moved to Utah with his parents and since then he has been living there.
He was married to Janelle Brown in 1988 at a young age. Adam loved to keep his personal life private and rarely shared any of his photos on his social media.
After getting divorced from Janelle, Adam married Tammy Schultz Barber. The couple also shared three adorable kids.
Adam was soon to celebrate his 55th birthday but he left the world before that. Janelle's ex-husband Adam was also Meri Brown's brother.
Meri Brown mourns the death of her brother
Meri Brown recently took to her social media and penned a lengthy and heartfelt tribute to her brother. The reality star wrote, "About 5 weeks ago I got a text from my brother saying he had made the decision to not continue his chemo treatment, due to the rapid progression of his cancer & deterioration of his body."
Meri added, "I have so many good memories with him over the years, because, siblings. I also have some not so good memories with him through the years, because, siblings."
She further noted, "Shortly after I learned that Adam's cancer was terminal & that he potentially had only weeks or months to live, something hit me like a ton of bricks."
The reality star elaborated, "After his passing, I would be the one remaining from the original four. We lost Teresa, our sister just younger than me, to cancer in 2006. We lost our oldest brother Marc to heart issues in 2015. Now Adam to another type of cancer."
She concluded her tribute, noting, "Regardless, (and you have no idea how bad I want to type in 'irregardless' there, in honor of him & our many arguments about whether that is even a word) I will move forward living, loving, forgiving, remembering. PS Adam, I have the last word. And that is REGARDLESS 💙."
How did Janelle Brown meet Adam Barber?
In the 'Sister Wives' 2012 memoir, 'Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage', Janelle Brown recalled her brief marriage to her first husband, Adam. Janelle's mom converted to Mormonism, and they moved to Utah.
She wrote in the memoir, "Toward the end of high school, I met a student named Adam, with whom I was quite taken. I knew he wasn’t Mormon, which meant we had no hope of being together, unless he converted."
She recalled telling her grandmother about the boy she had a crush on, who recognized his name. She had also lived next to the Barbers at one time.
Why did Janelle Brown divorce Adam Barber?
After getting married in 1988, Janelle Brown and Adam Barber got divorced in 1990. Although Janelle never shared why she got divorced, Christine and Kody Brown's daughter, Mykelti, once shared insight into Janelle's previous marriage.
During a live stream on her Patreon account, captured by Without A Crystal Ball, a fan asked if Janelle and Meri's relationship was bad after they became sister wives because of Janelle's divorce from her husband.
However, Mykelti claimed that it had nothing to do with that. Mykelti said, "So Janelle's first husband was abusive to her, so that’s why she left him." Meanwhile, Janelle have never confirmed or denied Mykelti's allegations.
Janelle's mom Sheryl Brown and Kody Brown's dad William Winn were married
Besides being in a polygamy marriage, Janelle and Kody Brown were also step-siblings. Kody's father, William Winn Brown, and Janelle Brown's mom Sheryl Brown, were married for several years.
William was also a fundamentalist Mormon and subsequently practised polygamy himself. Janelle and her mom Sheryl became interested in joining the Browns' new faith at around the same time in their lives.
However, Kody's father sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 78 in Wyoming. Meanwhile, Janelle's mom Sheryl passed away in 2020.
