St. Louis Park, MN - 08/16/1925 to 05/17/2026. Born in Minneapolis to Paul and Venita Ocken. Graduated from Washburn High School. Attended the U of M, graduating with two bachelor's and a master's degree, ++. She taught elementary students in the Minneapolis Public Schools. She wrote the curriculum for high-potential and gifted students in Minnesota, which is still in use today. While working in the Education Department at the Minneapolis Institute of Art as a Tour guide, she founded the Art in the Galleries program for children. Barbara was an officer of The Master Gardeners and Herb Society for many years. She enjoyed the Landscape Arboretum, where she worked well into her 80's. She also loved her morning swims with the gang at the "Y". Known throughout her life for her calligraphy and penmanship, prompting people to write her just to have a letter from Barbara. For fifty-four years, she hosted a Christmas Sing in her East Isles home, capped off with the infamous "Boar's Head Carol" sung with gusto. Barbara traveled extensively around the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe, including summer camping with her children, Candace and Angus, which was the highlight of the summer. Many thanks to Barbara's circle of friends who rallied around her after her stroke in 2020 by visiting her and keeping her bright light lit with stories and laughter - Eileen, Kay, Ann, Bonnie H, Sarah S., Sandi, and many others.