Barbara Matz Bliss

Barbara Matz Bliss passed away peacefully with her daughter by her side on December 9, 2025 at Loomis Lakeside Nursing Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. She was 99 years old. Barbara was born Barbara Matz on June 1, 1926 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to the late Bessie Mapes Matz and Robert Luke Matz. She attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York majoring in Vocal Studies, focusing on opera and classical arrangements. Barbara went on to attend Indiana University Bloomington, graduating with a Masters in Music (Vocals). There, she met her husband, the late George D. Bliss. After the couple moved to Riverside, Connecticut to raise their three children, Barbara sang in many choirs and was featured as a soloist. She taught voice lessons and is remembered as an enthusiastic teacher who brought out the best in her students. She also taught her children and grandchildren, passing on her passion for music to the next generation. Barbara also wrote poetry and belonged to several writing groups. She read widely about the human condition, which led to a Masters in Humanities from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. She went on to study Jungian psychoanalysis at the Jungian Institute in Zurich, Switzerland where she graduated with a certificate in Jungian psychoanalysis. Her thesis combined her vocal experience with Jungian insights, which proved helpful to her vocalist clients. She also taught workshops on Fairy Tales from a Jungian perspective. Her therapeutic work involved a sand tray table that clients (and her grandchildren!) could use to create symbolic worlds featuring an array of miniature objects. Her knowledge of the human mind and spirit enriched the lives of clients and family members alike. Barbara practiced Jungian psychotherapy in both New York City and Lenox, Massachusetts until her retirement. She later moved to Loomis Village in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Barbara is survived by her three children, George Bliss of New York City, Mark (Katie) Bliss of Maplewood, New Jersey and Elizabeth Cook of South Hadley, Massachusetts. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Meg Cook, Terence Cook, and Colin Cook of Massachusetts, Taylor Bliss of New Jersey, and Genie Bliss of Connecticut, as well as two great grandchildren. Services will be private.