Obituaries
Martha L. Barr 1924 - 2012 Lawrence
Martha L. (Bell) Barr
A Celebration of Life for Martha L. (Bell) Barr, 87, Lawrence, will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, August 25, 2012, at First Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Kent Winters-Hazelton officiating. Private inurnment will take place at Pioneer Cemetery on the University of Kansas campus.
Mrs. Barr died Thursday, July 19, 2012, at Brandon Woods at Alvamar.
She was born Nov. 23, 1924, in Birmingham, Ala., the daughter of Jesse Allen and Geneva Gregory Bell. She graduated from Ensley High School in Birmingham in 1942, and later attended the University of Alabama and the University of Kansas.
She married Billie Griffith ‘Bill’ Barr on Apr. 28, 1945, in Birmingham. He preceded her in death on Mar. 20, 2006. She was also preceded in death by two brothers, Jack Bell and Buron Bell, and one sister, Mary Bell Latham.
Martha is a beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother who dedicated her life to helping others. She loved cooking and gardening. She was a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church, the University Women’s Club, the KU Alumni Association, Prairie Acres Garden Club, and P.E.O. She was a Girl Scout leader for ten years in Prairie Village and Lawrence, and volunteered for many groups, including Presbyterian Manor, the Lawrence Public Library, and local schools Survivors include a son, William G. Barr (Lise), Omaha; two daughters, Patricia Barr Clarke (Mark), Denver, and Deborah Barr (Jerry Wirth), Wilmington, Del.; seven grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.
The family suggests memorials to Visiting Nurses (Hospice), Cottonwood, Inc., or First Presbyterian Church, in care of Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Ind., Lawrence, KS, 66044.
Online condolences may be sent at rumsey-yost.com
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