Barbara Vaterlaus

Barbara Karnan Vaterlaus July 3, 1937 - January 10, 2011 A resident of Orinda for 47 years, Barbara is survived by her loving sons Richard and Robert and daughter-in-law Lisa Lucheta (Richard's wife). Her loving husband of 40 years, Robert, passed away in 1999. Predeceased by both of her beloved brothers, Bob in 1975, and Dick in 2004, she is also survived by her sister-in-law Faith Karnan and her nephews Parker, Lance and Sterling and their families. Barbara devoted her life to teaching. She received her B.A. from Mt. Holyoke in Massachusetts in 1958 and her Masters in Education from St. Mary's College in 1987. She received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Acalanes Union School District in 1988, where she taught special education at the high school level for most of her career. After retiring, Barbara worked in various teaching capacities with the State of California Department of Corrections and several City and County detention and rehabilitation facilities. She continued to serve on several leadership boards until shortly before her death. Barbara was the youngest of three children born to the late Parker and Eleanor Karnan. Originally a native of Massachusetts, Barbara moved to San Francisco to live with her brother Dick in 1958. He introduced her to his close friend and her future husband Bob Vaterlaus. Barbara and Bob traveled and entertained extensively. When their sons were young, they lived for three years in Australia where Bob managed a subsidiary of Kaiser Aluminum. An avid reader, Barbara belonged for many years to the Orinda Book Group, which included many of her good friends. A dedicated puzzle solver, in her later years she always had a book of puzzles by her side. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Barbara's name to the Acalanes District Special Education Program, 1212 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette, CA 94549.