Barbra Winter

Barbra Winter

Barbra "Barb" H Winter, 93-years-old, of Madison, Wisc., joined her husband, Bill, and son, Willie, in Heaven on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

She is survived by her daughter, Laurie Hable (Ben), and her grandchildren and great-granddaughter: Burton Hable (Chloe Dedic, Sarah), Robbie Hable, and Allie Luca (Nick).

Barb was born on February 10, 1932, in Chicago, Ill., to her parents, H. Lawrence and Claire Binz Hendrickson. She graduated from Girls' Latin School in Chicago and later earned her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Northwestern University. She would use her degree as an administrative assistant in the Department of Sociology at the UW-Madison, and many remember her as a librarian aide at James Madison Memorial High School.

Barb had many loves in her life, including traveling, sailing, camping, volunteering, and swimming. While growing up in Chicago, she swam competitively, showed Boston Terriers, and spent many hours sailing and racing out of the Chicago Yacht Club. As a teenager, Barb traveled from Chicago to Florida via the Intracoastal Waterway with her parents.

Her most precious memories were sailing on Bagheera, a 72-foot, 2-masted wooden schooner. Barb and her good friend, Addie, sailed her from Saginaw, Mich., back to Chicago overnight with the stars as their guide. She continued to show her love for sailing in Madison through the Hoofers Sailing Club and was incredibly active in various organizations, including Attic Angel Place, SAIL, PEO, and the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

One of Barb's greatest loves was to share her passions with her family. She loved showing her grandchildren the world, whether it be from a sleeping bag in a pop-up camper, a bunk in the bow of a catamaran, or a resort complete with SCUBA courses. They will always carry their Grandma Barb with them in their hearts with stories of their adventures from the British Virgin Islands, France, Australia, the Canadian Boundary Waters, and so many more.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, February 6, 2026, at Bethany United Methodist Church in Madison, Wisc. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. with a service to follow at 11 a.m. A live stream can be found at Bethany's YouTube page starting around 10:50 a.m. CST.

Donations in her memory may be made to Hoofers Sailing Club, Agrace Hospice, Attic Angel Employee Appreciation Fund, or Bethany United Methodist Church and The Playing Field.

Please share your memories at

www.cressfuneralservice.com

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road, Madison

(608) 238-3434