Barbara Klee

1952 - 2026

Barbara Klee

March 27, 1952 - March 4, 2026

Barbara Klee, loving wife, devoted mother, and grandmother was called home by the Lord surrounded by her family on March 4, 2026. Barb came into this world on March 27, 1952, the third of five children born to Clarence Brahier (1928-20__) and Margaret Brahier (nee Morgan) (1930-2021).

Barb spent her formative years around Monclova, Ohio. Blessed with strict but loving parents, Barb came of age in stable neighborhoods filled with children who were constantly playing in their yards or riding their bikes to and from their friends' homes. Hers was a world of adventure, fun, and innocence largely unencumbered by today's toxicity. Imagination, without the need for electronic stimulation, helped sharpen her mind, develop an aura of confidence, and a super quick wit.

Barb was a 1970 graduate of Anthony Wayne High School. Like many of her contemporaries, Barb married her high school sweetheart, Todd Alspaugh, on August 28, 1971. The young couple were quickly blessed with three children, Jeffrey John Alspaugh (1972), Amy Jane Alspaugh (Gerken) (1974), and Sara Elizabeth Alspaugh (Doll) (1976).

Life is often filled with unexpected obstacles, and Barb found herself becoming a single mother of three young children in 1980. With three mouths to feed, Barb enrolled in the University of Toledo's paralegal program, graduating with an associate's degree in 1984. While in school, Barb very reluctantly agreed to go on a blind date with Roger Klee, a Toledo, Ohio, attorney who was also a single parent with three young children of his own: Roger Paul Klee II (1977), Jonathan Patrick Klee (1979), and Catherine Marie Klee (1981) (Heckel). "Watch, my luck he will be bald" Barb told her mother. However, let us be generous and just say that Roger's hair was thinning quickly.

The stars must have been aligned, as the couple exchanged wedding vows on April 10, 1984. Less than four years later their daughter, Elizabeth Bryn Klee, was born on January 3, 1988.

As is the case with all of us, life for Roger, Barb, and their "Brady bunch" was a mixture of highs and lows, which the couple successfully navigated. Through it all, Barb was the firm anchor of the family, first nurturing her children and thereafter nurturing her fourteen grandchildren, steadfastly supporting Roger's career, and being a good friend and neighbor to many- and did so until she took her final breath.

As the years raced by in what now seems a mere blink of the eyes, Barb's life was punctuated with good friends, occasional vacations, and an abiding passion for collecting and selling antiques and collectables. The thrill of the "hunt" was in her blood, and Barb developed a keen ability to spot the "hidden gem" among hundreds of items. Over the years, she displayed her treasures in local antique malls and shops, and even operated her own store for a brief time.

After Roger retired, they purchased their dream cottage in Northern Michigan, situated a mere stone's throw from a sugar sand beach and the lapping waters of Lake Huron. There they spent nearly half of eighteen wonderful years filled with friends and family. It was a place of refuge for Roger and Barb, and their biggest joy was the many summers spent with their grandchildren swimming, playing and enjoying the sheer beauty which surrounded them.

While in northern Michigan, Barb developed a passion for needle felting. It is a process by which colored woolen fibers are manually punched into a piece of woolen fabric to make beautiful designs akin to embroidery. Barb's specialty was creating down filled decorative pillows which now adorn many cottages or homes. Each July her pillows were sold along with quality antiques and collectables at the Petoskey Antique Show.

Although cancer prematurely took Barb from us, she never lost her zest for life, her sharp wit, or her basic humanity. Barb was never adorned with fame, wealth, or privileged status, but she was kind, considerate, loving, caring, and was committed to fundamental fairness, and the dignity of every human life. She is gone and we will miss her. Through it all Barb exemplified a life well lived.

Private funeral arrangements have been made for Barb. However, later this year her family will be hosting an event for family and friends to remember Barb more fully and to celebrate her life. Notification of the time, date, and place of this event will be provided.

Anyone wishing to make a charitable contribution in Barb's name is encouraged to consider St. Jude's Medical Center, or any charity of their choice.