Barbara G. Sterne

1928 - 2019

Barbara Greene Sterne died at the age of 91 on August 15th, 2019 in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Barbara was born on May 22, 1928 in Providence, Rhode Island to Lena Adelle Miner and Lloyd Oscar Greene. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts from Antioch College. On February 10th, 1951 she married Joseph R. L. Sterne, an aspiring foreign correspondent who went on to become the editorial page editor of the Baltimore Sun. They lived in Dallas, Texas, Baltimore, Maryland, London, England, Washington, D.C. Bonn, Germany, Lutherville, Maryland, raised five sons, and divorced in 1998.

Barbara had deep ties to the Baltimore area. She was a founding member of The Potters Guild of Baltimore, and taught ceramics at Notre Dame Preparatory School, Community College of Baltimore, Bykota Senior Center and Charleston Retirement Community. She played an active role in obtaining historic designation for her Lutherville community and included her house in their annual tour for many years. She was a master ceramicist and spent sleepless nights firing her signature blue and green salt-glazed pots in the kiln she built behind her house. Barbara shared her love of art as a docent at the Walters Art Museum and was a dedicated member and program director at the Towson Unitarian Universalist Church. Barbara ran the Baltimore marathon at age 50 and participated into her eighties in JDRF fundraising bicycle rides in such places as Asheville, North Carolina, Kalispell, Montana and Death Valley, California to benefit type 1 diabetes research. She was affectionately known to her fellow riders as "Gutsy Granny."

Barbara is survived by her sister Merilyn Dickson, former husband Joseph, her five sons and their wives Robert (fiancée Caryn), Paul (Anna), Edward (Rosanne), Adam (Lori), Lee (Jennifer), two former daughters-in-law Michele Sterne and Kathleen Davis, and long-time friend Dolores Barmat. She is also survived by 15 of her 17 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and various in-laws, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 16th at the Towson Unitarian Universalist Church located at 1710 Dulaney Valley Rd., Lutherville, MD 21093. In lieu of flowers, donations may be mailed to JDRF, 26 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10004 or submitted online at www.jdrf.org.