Barbara Joyce Bristow passed away February 19, 2022, at Sunnybrook Living Care Center in Fairfield, Iowa. She was 97. Barbara was born December 11, 1924, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Carrie Hopper, and her sister, Marilyn Thrasher. She is survived by four children, eight grandchildren, five great grandchildren, a niece and a nephew.
Barbara attended The University of Chicago, specializing in English Literature and art. Several of her paintings from that time are still treasured among family members.
During WWII, she worked at a manufacturing facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, receiving commendation for suggesting ways to increase efficiency and accuracy on the assembly lines that produced shell casings along with motors for military aircraft.
During her life, she was a homemaker and mother of four, entrepreneur, and widely beloved teacher of the Transcendental Meditation Program. After moving from Canada with dual citizenship, she was part of the Fairfield community for more than thirty years.
Among her many hobbies and skills, her ability to tailor, design patterns, and create designer fashion clothing was much appreciated through the years by friends and family. Dedicated to holistic health, she was enthusiastic about nutrition and alternative medicine.
Her father, Glenn, was an editor at the Fort Wayne Sentinel newspaper. He always wanted to be a lawyer, but never had the chance. Barbara often regretted that she, too, had not become an attorney, but she made up for it by being a counselor for people in unique ways. Have a legal situation? Aside from advising you to see a lawyer, she could offer suggestions that went right to the crux of almost any issue. Have troubles with a matter of the heart? There was no one better to help set you straight and feel better about things. She seemed to know a bit about everything, and it was uncanny how many people she gave encouragement and advice to over her long life.
Above all, Barbara will be remembered as a person with a generous, outgoing soul and a big heart who in minutes could turn strangers into lifelong friends. She will be greatly missed, and her family and friends will forever cherish the memories they have of her.
On-line condolences may be made to the family at behnerfh.com.
