Barbara L. Burau

Barbara L. Burau, 80, of Beaver Falls, PA, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at home Thursday, March 6, 2025.
She was born April 13, 1944, a daughter of the late Peter "Pietro" and Ida Reda Phillips.
A 1962 graduate of New Brighton High School, Barbara was the rock of her family and was an amazingly talented homemaker. She took joy in raising her two sons, caring for her husband, keeping a spotless home, and providing for her family.
Barbara was a legendary home cook. She specialized in preparing family-style meals, including her famous Italian pasta dinners topped with homemade meatballs and hot sausage. Each Christmas for decades, she baked hundreds of scratch-made holiday cookies that required weeks of care and preparation.
In typical Italian mother fashion, Barbara remained focused on keeping her grown sons well fed, sending baked goods across the country via U.S Priority Mail or waiting up until well after midnight for them to arrive home after hours on the road - always there with a warm hug and asking "Are you hungry? Can I heat up a plate for you?"
If there was any doubt about who ran the household, Barbara would laugh and point to her favorite refrigerator magnet, which reads, "The opinions expressed by the man of this house are not necessarily those of the management." Indeed, Barbara often minced garlic, but never her words.
After raising her children, Barbara stepped outside the home and donned a different kind of apron as a cashier at the former Builder's Square home center in Chippewa Township, PA. She later took a job at a local manufacturing company, learning to solder circuit boards used in electronic equipment - a testament to her tireless work ethic.
Barbara also was a voracious reader, finishing novels by Agatha Christie, Danielle Steele, Anne Rice, and other favorite authors in mere hours. She traded grocery bags full of books regularly with her dear sister, Ann Marie.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Ann Marie Phillips, and a brother, Patrick "Pasquale" Phillips.
She is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Walter Keith Burau; two sons, Christopher (Patricia) Burau of Ventura, Calif., and Adam (Cherise) Burau of Murrysville, PA; two sisters-in law, Mary Lou Phillips, and Shirley Schmidt; and several cousins, friends, and kind neighbors.
Barbara is already sorely missed, and the dinner table will never be the same without her.
There will be no public visitation, in keeping with Barbara's wishes. Interment will be private.
Arrangements are being handled by Corless-Kunselman Funeral Services, LLC, in Beaver Falls.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice or to the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls, 1301 7th Ave, Beaver Falls, PA 15010
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