Barbara A. Nipkow

Barbara A. Nipkow, 78, died Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at Gilchrist Hospice Center in Columbia, Maryland. She was the wife of the late Dr. Hans O. L. Nipkow and the daughter of the late Richard W. Tracey, VMD and Mellie (Keech) Tracey. Barbara went to Maryland General School of Nursing, became a registered nurse, and took her place in the operating room, which was her element. She met the love of her life in the Maryland General O.R., and they were an unbreakable team - doctor and nurse, husband and wife, parents to Leslie and Lisa, world travelers, and true partners - until his death in December 1982. Strong, brave, fierce, and stubborn, with enormous love and heart, Barbara worked tirelessly, and finished raising Lisa on her own, putting her through private school and Georgetown University. When she decided to follow her parents' footsteps into medical school, Barbara helped Lisa and her husband raise their young family through the residency years, as she opened her urological practice, and to this day. Barbara was enormously proud of her younger daughter's will, discipline, skill, and achievement. She loved her granddaughters beyond measure, with boundless pride, and wanted nothing more than to see the kind of women they would become. She introduced her older daughter, Leslie, to the theater, movies, literature, and New York City, and was Leslie's cheering section as she moved to New York and pursued a life in the arts. First and foremost, Barbara was singularly devoted to her family, close circle of friends, and the New York Yankees. Many considered her to be a surrogate mom, and she thought of her nieces, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews as her own children. She is survived by her daughters, Leslie A. Nipkow and her husband, Jeff Robins of New York, NY, and Lisa N. Hawes of Ellicott City, MD; her granddaughters, Alexis and Kailin Hawes; her sisters, Joan T. Axelberd of Marietta, Ga. and Jean T. Holley and her husband, Jim of New Freedom, PA; and extended family members and friends. All services will be private. In lieu of flowers or other expressions of condolence, Lisa, Leslie, and the girls would be grateful if Barbara's friends and family would take the time to write a note or letter to the family with a special memory or thought about their Mom. The family would like to collect these stories (and photos) to be handed down to future generations. Please forward your memories to Leslie A. Nipkow, 447 West 50th St., #2E, New York, NY 10019. J.J. Hartenstein Mortuary, Inc., New Freedom, PA is assisting the family with arrangements.