Barbara J. Michaelson

Barbara Michaelson, 69, of Coralville, passed away peacefully at home on January 24th, surrounded by her loving family after a courageous year-long battle with lymphoma.

Barb was born October 4th, 1956, in Nevada, Iowa, to Raymond and Janette (Eckhart) Eggers. She was the youngest of six children. Barb cherished her childhood spent on a farm in State Center, Iowa. The farm was purchased by her great-grandfather in 1907, and she took pride in the fact that the farm continues to be run by the Eggers family after over a century.

From an early age, music and faith were central to Barb's life. She began serving as the church organist for Trinity Lutheran Church at the age of 12. She graduated from West Marshall High School in 1975, where she was involved in many musical activities, such as playing clarinet, piano, and organ.

She studied piano at Wartburg College for two years where she met her husband, Charles "Chuck" Michaelson. After their marriage in 1977 in State Center, they moved to Iowa City to continue their piano studies at the University of Iowa under renowned pianist Kenneth Amada. She received a Bachelor of Music in 1979 and a Master of Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy in 1981. After graduating, they moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota where Barb was trained in the Suzuki music methodology and learned abstracting, a career she would later continue in Iowa.

Barb and Chuck moved back to Iowa where they raised two children, Sarah and Erik. Barb began teaching piano at Preucil School of Music, where she continued to teach and provide accompaniment for string ensembles for 35 years. She loved teaching students and watching them grow. In addition to teaching, Barb also worked at Hawkeye Title and Settlement as title plant manager for the past 22 years. She was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church, where she was a member of the bell choir and often enjoyed playing piano for services.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother and sister-in-law Jerry and Sally, her brother Roger, and her niece Cynthia Sue.

She is survived by her husband, Chuck; daughter, Sarah of Lake Forest, Illinois;son Erik (Molly) of Brooklyn, New York. She is also survived by her siblings, Ellen (Londell Johnson) of Melbourne, Dan (Carolyn) of Waverly, and David (Judy) of State Center, her sister-in-law, Annette Eggers of Paris, Texas, her brother-in-law, Rob (Anya) of San Antonio, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Compassus Hospice for their wonderful care.

Barb's services will be held at Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City on Saturday, February 7th, with a visitation at 10 am and funeral at 11 am, followed by a luncheon. A private burial service for family will take place on Monday, February 9th in Harlington Cemetery, Waverly.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Zion Lutheran Church music programs, Preucil School of Music piano department, or Blood Cancer United.