Barbara Jean Miller Van Laan

Barbara Jean Miller Van Laan, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away in Houston on March 2, 2024, at the age of 91. Born on September 24, 1932 in Bay City, Michigan, Barbara led a long and full life that took her to many parts of the United States and world.

Barbara was married to the late professor Thomas F. Van Laan from 1952 to 1976, with whom she had three children, Krista, Tom, and Marcy. In support of her husband's education and career, the couple moved from Michigan to California to Kentucky to New Jersey, even spending a year in Oslo, Norway. An expert DIY-er, Barbara renovated and decorated many homes during this period, showing creativity while living on a tight budget. She loved to entertain, serving a memorable Beef Wellington, among other dishes.

Barbara's creativity expanded beyond the household. She was a talented watercolor artist and in 1968, wrote an unpublished novel, That Holy Bond. She had a lifelong and active interest in politics and in the 1960s and 70s, contributed to the antiwar movement through peaceful protest, activism, and volunteer work.

From 1972-1976, Barbara fulfilled a lifelong dream by going to college full-time and obtaining her bachelor's degree in Economics at Douglass College, Rutgers University. She worked at Rutgers for two years and then became an entrepreneur. She bought a house in Michigan and renovated it herself before renting it out and managing it remotely. With her partner Charlie Burke, she launched a series of businesses: among them a store in Cranford, New Jersey, a wholesale music box business, an antiques business, reclaimed storage business, and a motel in Red Falls, New York.

In 1996, Barbara settled in Houston, Texas to be near her son. Active and fiercely independent, Barbara was self-sufficient to the end. She was proficient on the computer, regularly using both a desktop and tablet, and started texting on a smart phone in her later years. She was an avid genealogist and spent long hours on Ancestry.com, building a detailed family tree. She continued her interest in politics and up to the end, watched and discussed every political program. She especially loved dogs, and rescued two strays, which she raised along with her pet cats.

In 2018, Barbara took a road trip to California with her son Tom and granddaughter Katrina. In 2019, she and daughter Krista took a two-week trip to Egypt. In 2022, her children and grandchildren celebrated her ninetieth birthday in New Orleans, where she let the good times roll in the French Quarter. Her family plans to hold a memorial in her hometown of Bay City, Michigan, as she often talked about returning to live there.

Barbara will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She is predeceased by her ex-husband Thomas F. Van Laan and partner Charlie Burke; parents Gladys and Charlie Miller; and siblings Laura, Charles, Betty, and Dick. She is survived by her children Krista Van Laan, Tom Van Laan (Ruth Dreessen), and Marcy Van Laan; her grandchildren, Peter Strand (Gillian Green), Nick Van Laan (Emily Roth Van Laan), Marika Van Laan, and Katrina Van Laan; her great-granddaughter Eila Van Laan; and sisters Helen Brothers, Mil Gingerich, and Nancy Thom.