Mary Jane Blackman Barber (2014)
BARBER, BLACKMAN, RACHAU
Posted By: Mary Welty Hart (email)
Date: 3/30/2014 at 13:40:23
Hamilton's Funeral Home
Des Moines, Iowa
Sunday, March 30, 2014MARY JANE BARBER, St Charles
Mary Jane Barber was born January 20th, 1932 in the Village of Browerville, Minnesota. She was a caring mother to six children and a devoted wife to her belated husband Ned Barber. Mary Jane was a renaissance woman who felt as long as she was learning something she was having a good day. She would devour books in political, social satire, and biographical genres weekly. She enjoyed painting, sewing, county music, and animals.
Mary Jane had a gift in finding the bright side of each day, even when the day was not so bright. This stemmed from her upbringing during the depression era, where each day was a struggle. Even without some of the basics of life, she recalled those times as free and clean, and would often dream of returning to those years. For Mary a good adventure with a well calculated risk was good, cheap entertainment while growing up in northern Minnesota. By her standard, she had more than nine lives. While listening to her recount some of these gloried stunts and adventures I counted at least 19 times she almost, and maybe should have, died. It was nothing short of a miracle she survived into adulthood. She never seemed more alive than when she recalled back flipping from one tall stack of railroad ties to another, the miscalculation of which nearly paralyzed her. Or to hear her telling of leaping from rail car to rail car and the hitchhiking experiment with her friend that started with being picked up by gangsters, who left them afoot in Arizona. One could say her luck was legendary, especially after hearing her account of being chased down the sidewalk by a ball of lightning as kid. To say she had lived a couple lifetimes before she was 20 is an understatement.
Mary Jane was married twice. Her first marriage produced two children, Rick Blackman and Sue Blackman. The second marriage gave her Jeff Barber, Greg Barber, Christian Barber & Michelle Rachau. She was also blessed with a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren. The carbon footprint from such a large biohazard will be felt upon this land for generations to come. Mary Jane was gifted with many children and at times she wanted to re-gift some of them, and with good reason. Nonetheless, she carried their burdens as her own. Mary Jane was a mother, a wife, a friend, and a damn good person to know and love.
Over the last few years good news was in rare supply, and every glittering ounce of it was cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond. In 2010 Mary Jane was diagnosed with cancer, resulting in her husband Ned Barber taking her to the hospital for surgery. While she was in surgery, Ned Barber was taken into care by the hospital as he was suffering from what would later become a terminal condition. Mary Jane stayed in the hospital a couple days, rejected cancer treatment and took her husband home for hospice care. After Ned’s death a few weeks later, Mary Jane decided not to undergo cancer treatment. She lived on her own in the country and would continue to cut her own firewood, mow her acreage with a push mower and shovel the snow from her long drive. She did so with minimal complaint of the immense pain and weakened condition she was in. Her intestinal fortitude was an immense inspiration that anyone could admire. Mary Jane earned her keep on this earth, and she stomped the terra.
Mary Jane passed away Monday, March 24, 2014.
There will be a graveside service to honor her held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, March 31, 2014 at Sunset Memorial Gardens, 7601 Fleur Drive, Des Moines.
Gravestone Photo
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