Susann Stockwell Barber

Susann Olive Stockwell Barber died peacefully Thursday, June 3, 2010, in Asheville, where she had lived since 1952. Born 1923, in Geneva, Ohio, Mrs. Barber attended Simmons College where she graduated with a nursing degree. She held a position as Head Operating Room Nurse at the Boston Lying-In Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where she met her future husband, Dr. John Francis Barber (1917-2005). Married in Boston on November 11, 1943, Mrs. Barber and her husband, John, moved to Philadelphia, where both worked in local hospitals, Dr. Barber as a physician, and Mrs. Barber as an Operating Room Nurse. A son, John Frank, was born December 1951 and Mrs. Barber moved with her family to Asheville, Dr. Barber's hometown, soon after, where he set up practice. Mrs. Barber devoted many years of her life to raising her two children, son John, and a daughter, Amelia Jane, born in 1953. She volunteered with the Junior League of Asheville and was active in the Episcopal Church. With both children enrolled in universities, Mrs. Barber returned to nursing as the supervisor of medical records review for hospitals throughout Western North Carolina. In her free time, Mrs. Barber was an accomplished seamstress and a prolific needle pointer. She read voraciously and enjoyed art, music, theater, and dance. Mrs. Barber is survived by her daughter, Jane, who lives in Asheville with her family, and her son, John, who lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his family. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm Sunday at St. Giles Chapel at Deerfield. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Deerfield Employee Appreciation Fund, 1617 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, NC 28803. Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.