Barbara Beatty

Barbara Angela Beatty

December 17, 1923 - December 17, 2014

Barbara died gently and peacefully on December 17, 2014, her 91st birthday! She was surrounded by her family and helped along her final journey by the extraordinary staff at the Ukiah Valley Medical Center. She lived a full, rich, complex life and, true to form, crossed the rainbow bridge on her own terms and in her own time.
The oldest child of Frank and Beatrice Schleicher, Barbara was born in Fresno, California and, at the age of 13, moved to Sacramento with her parents, brother John and sister Nancy. She maintained close ties throughout her life with friends from Sacramento's McClatchy High School. She met her loving husband of 52 years, James Lamar Beatty (d. 1998), there when they both worked in the war industry. They moved to the Bay Area in 1948 and she was a devoted Berkeley resident for over 65 years.
Barbara worked for many years as a medical records transcriptionist at Children's Hospital, Oakland. Upon her retirement, she enjoyed her weekly responsibilities at the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library Bookstore. She was an active volunteer at KPFA Radio in its early days and her civic engagement ranged from working tirelessly in Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaigns to protests against nuclear weapons, the latter leading to her arrest at a demonstration in 1982.
An avid reader and public radio listener, she was a talented seamstress and a lifelong learner (carpentry and upholstery, Japanese brush painting, human anatomy illustration, French, and even aviation although she never did fly a plane). She loved the New Yorker and the New York Times, the symphony and the theater, Christo installations, the Northside Community Garden, the Sonoma Coast, the Sierra Nevada Mountains and especially the beautiful Tenaya Lake in the Yosemite high country. She was an amazingly creative, strong and resourceful woman, often ahead of her time and culture. She possessed an exceptional gift for diverse friendships across personal backgrounds, generations and life experiences, always offering an open door and warm welcome.
She is survived by her sons Jim, John (Paula Samonte), William, and Tom, her daughter Joan Ariel and spouse Ellen Broidy, grandchildren Nathan Stout (Linda Mann Stout), Jamie Beatty (Chiah Rodriques), Cyrise Beatty Schachter (Stefan Schachter), Max Beatty, and great grandchildren River, True, and Jonah James, in addition to her beloved extended family and wide circle of friends.
A celebration of Barbara's life and her enduring presence in ours will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, Berkeley.
Contributions in Barbara's memory may be made to the Yosemite Conservancy, the School for Performing Arts and Cultural Education (S.P.A.C.E.), Ukiah, California, or the cause or charity of your choice.