Barbara G. Toomer

1929 - 2018

1929 ~ 2018
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead

Barbara G. Toomer, a champion for human and civil rights, died on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, due to respiratory failure. She was 88 years old.
Barbara Greenlee was born Aug. 26, 1929 in Pasadena, CA to Gertrude and Samuel Greenlee. She enjoyed a childhood filled with whimsy, creativity and the arts with her aunt Jean Simmer. She enjoyed painting, cross-stitching and quilting, and was a masterful dress- and costume-maker. She was a Girl Scout, and was on the swimming, volleyball and basketball teams at Santa Monica High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's College of Nursing in 1952.
Barb was a member of the Army Nurse Corps from 1953-1955, and achieved the rank of First Lieutenant. She married Capt. Gerald Ross Toomer in 1953 in Fort Bragg, NC. They had three children - Jean, James and Jennifer - and were married 52 years. In 1956, shortly after the birth of her first child, Barb contracted polio and has used a wheelchair since.
Barb remained engaged in civil service in the Civil Air Patrol in Georgia and in Utah, and was a Democratic Party delegate for many years.
In the mid-1970s, Barb's service turned to advocating for equality, accessibility and civil rights. She served as Relief Society President of the Jordan North Third Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she took special care of single mothers, widows and people of low income - no questions asked. She blazed trails for people with disabilities in her work to create accessible public transportation, and in recent years advocated to make sure federal money would pay for people to receive care in their own homes rather than nursing homes - a cause for which she met with President Bill Clinton and cabinet members of the George W. Bush administration. While her advocacy began with letter-writing, public speaking and diplomacy, Barb and her army of volunteers turned to non-violent direct action when she felt diplomacy had failed to yield results. She was admired by many for her courage and strength to engage in these efforts for nearly four decades.
Barb organized and participated in numerous advocacy groups promoting equality and access for all. She was among the founders of Community Shares/Utah, the Utah Independent Living Center, ADAPT/Utah, and the Disabled Rights Action Committee, and she served in many leadership positions for these groups. She also served on the Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission, the Utah Statewide Independent Living Council, the Utah Transit Authority Committee on Accessible Transportation, the Governor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped, and the Professional Ethics Committee of the Utah State Bar. She was proud to have worked with and received honors and awards from various state, local and national groups, including the National Organization for Women's Woman of Courageous Action Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, the Utah Issues' Joe Duke Rosati Hell Raiser Award in 2005, the Advocate of the Year Community Justice Award from the Disability Law Center, the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award in 2008, the AARP Outstanding Volunteer in 2014, the Crossroads Urban Center Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and the Rosa Parks Award from the Salt Lake Branch of the NAACP in 2017.
Barb's voice remains in oral histories of women veterans, and her experiences and memories are found in the Everett L. Cooley Oral History Project (University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library) and Latter-day Saint Nurses at War: A Story of Caring and Sacrifice (BYU Religious Studies Center). Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) also included her in his tribute to women veterans at the Women in Military Service Memorial dedication in 1997 in Washington, D.C.
Barb was a good friend and a loving mother and grandmother. She was generous with her time and knowledge, and freely gave advice and help to anyone who asked. Her wisdom was sought by many, whether they were navigating a new disability or needed resources to help care for their families. She was creative, fun, and enjoyed family gatherings and playing cards. She taught her granddaughter to ride a bike by using a grassy hill at a nearby park. She attended performances, ceremonies and school programs, and was very proud of the accomplishments of her loved ones. As a final act of service, Barb donated her body to the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Barb lived on her own terms to her last breath, which she took surrounded by her loving family. She was preceded in death by her husband Ross, her parents, and her sister, Elizabeth "Betty" Lumpkin, Columbus, OH. Survived by her children, Jean Layton (Willis), West Valley City, UT; James Toomer (Melissa Lummis), Greencastle, IN; and Jennifer Toomer-Cook (Mike Johnson), Millcreek, UT; grandchildren Eric Layton and Bethany Layton (Alaa Alhabahbeh), Salt Lake City, UT; Lauren and Kelsey Cook, Millcreek, UT; and Aurora Ann Toomer, Greencastle, IN; step-grandchildren Felicia (Taylor), Shaylyn (Austin), Nikki, Canyon, Kennedy, Summit and Rogunn, and step-great-grandchildren Tucker, Barrett, Colter and Sawyer; and her nieces Rima Straight (Robert), Fredericksburg, VA, and Tonia Lumpkin, France, and their families. She adored them all. She also is survived by her DRAC and ADAPT families of advocates, and activists and civil rights defenders throughout the nation. How she loved riding among your ranks.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, April 29, 2018, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Barbara's home, 4264 West 3785 South, West Valley City. She will be interred next to her husband at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park at Camp Williams in Bluffdale, UT, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to ADAPT (adapt.org) or DRAC (disabledrightsactiondrac.org).
Special thanks to the caregivers at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who provided loving care and hospice options for Barbara and her family, and to Barb's "bonus daughter" Maya Ostler Irvin, for her love, care and guidance throughout the years.
Well behaved women rarely make history.