BARBARA WILLIAMSON

1933 - 2022

WILLIAMSON--Barbara Tuerk, of Palm Beach, FL, died peacefully on May 11, 2022. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Douglas F. Williamson Jr.; her children Mary L. Williamson, Douglas F. Williamson III, and Bruce R. Williamson; four grandchildren; her brother George Tuerk; and her sister Betsy Duerr. Born January 14, 1933 in Highland Park, IL, Barbara attended Smith College for a year before transferring to Stanford University and graduating in 1954. At Stanford, she was an editor at the Stanford Daily. After college, Barbara's career included a CORO Fellowship in California and positions at the Democratic National Committee, the Taconic Foundation, and public television station WNET. She also received an MBA from Columbia University in 1981. A lover of travel, Barbara visited some 70-odd countries over her lifetime, covering all seven continents. She particularly loved Africa and returned there often. Her curiosity and keen intellect allowed her to absorb and share details about a wide array of the world's natural, cultural, scientific, and artistic wonders. She was a gracious host and wonderful cook. Her children's friends still remark on meals and conversations shared at her tables years before. A lover of fine dining, Barbara had a prodigious memory for meals, remembering the details of menus at restaurants visited decades prior. She will be greatly missed. At her request, there will be no service. Memorial gifts may be made to Stanford University for its undergraduate program, or to the World Wildlife Fund's Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program.