Around the supper table Barbara did not have much to say, but I remember that fall she was packing her bag to visit her family over the Thanksgiving holidays. I marveled at her spark and tenacity in arranging her trip to the airport. Because I do not travel lightly, it amazed me to see her with only one small piece of luggage (which she informed me had everything in it she needed for the trip to North Carolina). She loved her family and talked about them constantly. Their pictures were all under the glass covering the desk in Barbara’s bedroom. I am glad her nieces Nancy, Barbara and Joanne, and her grand nieces/nephew Elizabeth, Jessica and John could be here today. Now I can put faces on the names I have heard so much about these last few years.

I had previously met Nancy and John when Barbara met a hurdle in her life. In the spring of 2007, the word “cancer” became a part of her reality. While waiting to hear the results of her surgery we were questioning: “How would this diagnosis change Aunt Jo’s life?” After all she kept reminding the doctors she was a woman in a “92 year old body with a 29 year old mind”! Much to my surprise, this feisty lady accepted her challenge and made a wonderful recovery. Only a few things changed in her day to day activities. Barbara resigned her position at school but planned to stay involved as a volunteer and now she could no longer make the trips down South to see her family, so they visited her and increased their phone bills by calling her regularly.

Her next big hurdle came last fall. We all know how Barbara loved nature, often photographing trees, flowers and any beautiful scene. So it was only natural for her to stoop over to check the flowers outside a restaurant where she was to attend a 50th Jubilee party for Sister Kathleen Marie. In leaning over, she fell. Despite her positive attitude, the recovery from her fractured hip did not go so smoothly. It necessitated more rehab, so Barbara chose to come up to the Mount “temporarily” to recuperate. But her heart never left Toms River where she had spent the last 38 years of her life. Here in Newburgh, she experienced heart problems making it impossible to return to St. Joseph’s Convent.

In May of this year, I attended a meeting where the professionals involved in caring for Barbara discussed with her the need to remain at the Mount because of her physical limitations. My heart ached for Barbara but, again, like the trooper she was, she said something to the effect: “If that’s the plan then there is nothing more to discuss,” and promptly left the meeting to go to dinner. This gift to accept what she felt was God’s plan left an indelible mark on my mind and heart. When I would be visiting Toms River, after the workday there were two places to look for Barbara, at her computer playing Free Cell, which she loved, or in the chapel – because most of all Barbara was a prayerful woman. She found Christ in her students and in people and nature but she also relished her time alone with her God in that small sacred room.

Just recently Aunt Jo said she was glad she chose to come up here to the Mount for nursing assistance. The Sisters and staff were attentive and good, caring for all of her needs. Like all of you, I feel privileged to have known this wonderful Sister. I often referred to her as the “energizing bunny” because of her zest for life. She will be missed terribly by family and friends. But I know Barbara was present this morning at 8:10 am welcoming and beckoning with her index finger for Sister Juliana, her friend, to come and be with her in the “hands of God.” I am sure they are having a great party somewhere right now! So today we celebrate her life with gratitude and love for all the gifts she shared with us over the years. Barbara “fought the good fight, won the race” and is now sharing the fruits of her long life with us today and always.

Anne Marie Bucher, OP