Barbara Jane Willinger

1938 - 2024

Barbara Jane Willinger, died on February 4, 2024, of complications from dementia. She was 85.

A Buckeye by birth, Barbara grew up in rural middle Tennessee, the eldest daughter of Jake and Jane Rogers. An excellent student, she was the valedictorian of her high school in Antioch, and went on to graduate with honors from MTSU with a bachelor's degree in sociology.

With her new degree in hand, she began her professional teaching career back in Ohio, but spent most of her career teaching in Indiana with East Allen County Schools. A diligent worker, she balanced teaching with motherhood, and obtained additional teaching credits from Bowling Green State University and later earned her master's degree from Purdue University.

Barbara taught in public schools for 35 years, earning less than her male peers for many of those years. She taught English and came home every evening with stacks of papers held together with bulldog clips. After cooking supper for her family she graded papers long after dark every single weeknight and most weekends during the school year. In the summers she read Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott: such was her love of the English language.

In a cruel trick of the universe, dementia robbed Barbara of the language she so loved, first taking her ability to write, then her ability to read, and finally her ability to speak. As her care needs increased, she was able to live in a physically safe environment with professional caregivers.

Barbara is survived by her daughter Kirsten and son-in-law Darrell Collins of Tennessee; her son Kirk and grandson Jacob of Indiana; and her sister Kathy of Tennessee. At Barbara's request, final arrangements are private. Memorials may be made to Doctors Without Borders.