hmtl5 Barbara Jean Blair b. 16 Sep 1930 Hutchinson, Reno County, Kansas d. 12 Feb 2020 Commerce, Hunt County, Texas: McKeown Genealogy

Barbara Jean Blair

Female 1930 - 2020  (89 years)


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  • Name Barbara Jean Blair 
    • daughter of William N. Blair and Mabel E. Porter [1]
    Born 16 Sep 1930  Hutchinson, Reno County, Kansas Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Gender Female 
    Died 12 Feb 2020  Commerce, Hunt County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Buried Fairlawn Cemetery, Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Person ID I1198  McKeown
    Last Modified 12 Feb 2023 

    Family Lawrence Lee Gish,   b. 11 Jan 1930, Little River, Rice County, Kansas Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 13 Sep 1991  (Age 61 years) 
    Married 1955  [2
    Children 
     1. Nancy Lee Gish,   b. 31 Oct 1958, Marceline, Linn County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 21 Feb 1959, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 0 years)
     2. Alan Blair Gish,   b. 9 Sep 1960,   d. 9 Sep 1965, Arkansas City, Cowley County, Kansas Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 5 years)
    Last Modified 12 Feb 2023 
    Family ID F499  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 16 Sep 1930 - Hutchinson, Reno County, Kansas Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - 12 Feb 2020 - Commerce, Hunt County, Texas Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - - Fairlawn Cemetery, Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Notes 
    • Barbara Blair Gish passed away peacefully on the morning of February 12, 2020 in Commerce, TX with family and friends by her side. She was 89 years old.

      Born September 16, 1930 in Hutchinson, Kansas to William and Mabel Blair, Barbara and her brother Bill grew up with strong role models for tenacity, and she credited her parents with viewing life as a grand opportunity, fostering a lifelong passion to share one’s abundance and talents. She was affected by WWII, the notion of sacrifice, and consequently drawn to history and politics as an arena for compromise and civility. In college she earned a B.S. in Sociology and began her career in public service immediately after. In 1954, she met her husband Larry Gish on a blind date, falling so easily in love they would marry only one year later and remain happily married until his passing in 1991. Together they moved first to Marceline, Missouri, then Arkansas City, Kansas, and finally Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she spent most of her life from 1966 to 2013. They had four children but tragically lost two in early childhood, experiences that deeply impacted her life. Throughout, she faced these and other challenges with her special brand of courage, determination, and faith.

      Family was her greatest joy, but she was also closely involved with her community, making lifelong friends in the process. Her heartfelt desire to help anyone in need of a champion and her unmistakable bubbly laugh endeared her instantly to those she met, and helped cinch her many admirable achievements. She worked tirelessly with multiple philanthropic organizations including the Delta Delta Delta sorority (where she played several roles including district president), OSU Friends of Music, Stillwater Arts and Humanities Council, OSU Panhellenic, and PEO. She established and enriched child advocacy centers in Oklahoma, assisted in St. Andrew’s thrift shop, and lobbied for abused children at both state and local levels. In honor of her volunteerism, the governor of Oklahoma declared September 18th, 2010 to be Barbara Gish Day, a statewide holiday. Barbara loved to travel, garden, spend time with her children and grandchildren, to write thoughtful handcrafted letters to dear friends and family, and always, always help others however she could.

      In death she joins her parents William and Mabel, daughter Nancy, son Alan, husband Larry, brother Bill, and son-in-law Richard Lampe. She is survived by her daughter Susan Lampe, son David Gish, daughter-in-law Catherine, grandchildren Blair, Emily, Lauren, and Evan, sister-in-law Jody Blair, and beloved cousins, nieces and nephews. Memorial services will be held at 10am at the First United Methodist Church chapel in Commerce, Texas on February 21st and in Stillwater, Oklahoma at 11am at Saint Andrews Episcopal Church on February 22nd.

      In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be sent to the Barbara Blair Gish Endowed Scholarship at the Oklahoma State University Foundation (400 Monroe, Stillwater, OK 74074. Fund# 34-8000), The Saville Center for Child Advocacy in Stillwater, OK (1523 West Ninth Avenue, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074), or the Larry Gish Memorial Endowment at the Stillwater Public Education Foundation (P.O. Box 286 Stillwater, Oklahoma 74076).
      [1, 2]

  • Sources 
    1. [S8] Find a Grave.

    2. [S3] Obituary.