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Barbara Bernstein ’52

May 2, 2018, in Kenmore, Washington.

Born in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, Barbara moved with her family to Bellingham, Washington, in the early ’30s, where they lived on a 38-acre farm purchased for the family by Barbara’s beloved uncle, Richard Drew, inventor of both masking tape and cellophane tape for 3M. Barbara loved to tell the story of how her Uncle Dick invented Scotch tape, and she was motivated by his creativity, warmth, and intelligence.

After graduating from Bellingham High School, Barbara started at Reed, but transferred to the University of Washington, where she got her bachelor of arts in sociology. She became a certified instructor for Parent Effectiveness Training and taught many early childhood programs. Barbara loved teaching and taught parent education classes at Edmonds Community College. When she was in her 60s she went back to college and got her master’s in psychology from Antioch University. As a mental health counselor, she provided years of service helping people to embrace life and encouraging them to fulfill their potential.

One of the greatest satisfactions of her life was as founder and owner of the Small Farm, which incorporated her love of horses, children, and teaching. Barbara watched with delight as children grew and learned autonomy through riding and caring for horses, swimming, and other creative activities. She loved horses and became educated in the art of massage therapy for horses. She and her husband, Louis, were very progressive and involved in the first alternative school in Seattle, where children learned to take responsibility for their own education and choices at an early age. The couple was involved in social justice, environmental, peace, and education causers, and with great sincerity lived the values of these causes.

Barbara was an avid skier and loved gardening, swimming, utilizing art in a therapeutic process, reading, and creative writing, including poetry. An animal lover, she adopted countless dogs, cats, horses, and other living beings. Predeceased by her husband, Louis, Barbara is survived by her daughter, Shelly Bernstein, and her sons David Bernstein and Aaron Bernstein.

Appeared in Reed magazine: September 2018

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