Barbara Ann Zentgraf

Barbara passed away on Friday, November 28th. She was born to Dorothy and Carl Heitzler in Cincinnati on October 26, 1934. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 64 years, Paul, and her beloved sister, Carol Gaenge. She is survived by her adult children, Mark (Terri), Laura Martin (Kevin) and Darin (Ceci). She loved her 5 grandchildren, Brian Zentgraf, Jonathan Zentgraf, Hannah Durham (Greg), Alexander Martin (Jessica), Connor Martin (Emily) and 2 great grandchildren, Charlie Martin and Grace Martin. She was blessed to have many nieces and nephews in her life, and she is survived by her loving sister-in-law, Jeanne Olsen.

Barbara lived in Cincinnati most of her life; she attended Hughes High School and attended the University of Cincinnati in the College of Applied Arts. She joined the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority and was involved throughout campus. Her passion for art started in grade school and continued throughout her life. She was a talented artist with her favorite medium being watercolor. She was involved with the Cincinnati Art Club, the Women’s Art Club of Cincinnati, and the Ohio Watercolor Society where she was accepted into many juried shows and earned many awards and distinctions. She served on various Board of Trustees for these organizations and served as chairperson for various exhibitions. She was awarded the Jim Brower Lifetime Achievement award from OWS in 2023 for her long and dedicated service to OWS as well for her excellence in the art of watercolor. In 2024 she was celebrated by the Woman’s Art Club of Cincinnati and initiated into the “Club 25+” for those ambitious women artists being involved for 25 years or more.

She was an avid animal lover. She volunteered with the Cincinnati Zoo for over 40 years as a Volunteer Educator taking visitors on tours throughout the Zoo and educating them on the animal traits and habitats. She often volunteered as an animal observer to watch over pregnant animals in the middle of the night to alert staff if one of them started to give birth so they could guide the mother through a successful birth. The Zoo awarded her 20, 30, 40 year awards in gratitude for her volunteer work - as well as the Center for Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife recognized her for her many volunteer hours.

She shared her love of art and travel with her husband Paul. They visited England, Italy, and France many times. Her favorite spots, however, were Maine, where she traveled each summer with a painting group and the American Southwest which was the inspiration for many of her paintings.

Barb went through life with a loving, wonderful attitude; she will be greatly missed by her family as well as her many friends.

Visitation will be at Hodapp funeral home, 6041 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45224 from 11am – 12pm on Saturday, December 13th, with the memorial service starting at 12pm.

Memorials may be made to: The Cincinnati Zoo, 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45220. Make A Wilder Tomorrow - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden https://cincinnatizoo.org/support/support-the-zoo/

Condolences at hodappfuneralhome.com