Barbara Jane Rech

1933 - 2020

Barbara Jane Rech

Okemos - Barbara Jane (Lyon) Rech of Okemos, MI peacefully passed away from natural causes at the age of 86 on March 17, 2020. A resident of Okemos for 45 years, she resided these past 5 years at Burcham Hills CHR in East Lansing, MI.

Barbara is survived by her two daughters and their husbands, Sharon and John Graham of Wenonah, NJ, and Michelle and Randy Barrett of W. Boylston, MA, as well as her 4 grandchildren, John, Kuirra, Athena, and Heather, and 6 great grandchildren. Her loving husband, Richard H. Rech, predeceased her in 2016 as did their son, Charles Rech, in 2014.

Barbara was born on May 17, 1933 in Orange, NJ to Clifford S. and Mary Jane Lyon who raised her and her younger sister, Suzanne in northern NJ. At the age of 16, Barbara met the love of her life, Richard, at a square dance. After high school, Barbara married Richard on Oct. 4, 1952. Always supportive of each other, the couple raised their family and lived a successful and fulfilling life lead by Richard's career as professor/researcher of Pharmacolgy. Their journey took them from Ann Arbor, MI (Univ. of Michigan) followed by a few years in Utah before moving to Hanover, NH (Dartmouth College) for 10 years. In 1971, they moved to Okemos, MI where Richard helped develop the Dept. of Pharmacology at MSU.

Along with her first priority to raise her children, Barbara was very involved with the woman's group, Beta Sigma Phi, serving as President for several years, as well as staying involved with the college community. She was a member of the MSU Community Club for many years. She loved the arts and music, enjoying symphonies and theatre productions. Both she and her husband loved to travel, with San Francisco their favorite place to visit.

The family wishes to thank all the caretakers at Burcham Hills CHR and McLaren Hospice who provided excellent care for Barbara and provided great comfort and dignity upon her decline these past few months.

There is no service planned at this time; to be determined at a later date.

For anyone interested, donations in memory of Barbara may be given as shown below:

BURCHAM HILLS FOUNDATION, 2700 BURCHAM DRIVE, E. LANSING, MI 48823 burchamhills.com Foundation

MCLAREN HOSPICE, LANSING, 2815 S. PENNSYLVANIA AVE., STE. 4, LANSING, MI 48910 McLaren.org Foundation

LOCAL SUPPORT ANIMAL PROGRAMS OR NO-KILL ANIMAL SHELTERS

The animal programs who visited Barbara at Burcham Hills brought great joy to her.

Expressions of sympathy may be made at www.greastlansing.com