Barbara Koons Obituary
Barbara Annee Osborn Koons (January 21, 1939 - April 28, 2025)
A beautiful soul with a gift of helping others and a love for travel and adventure, she forged her own way through life's many hardships with resilience and grace.
Family and close friends are familiar with Barbara's life story: Born in Staten Island NY in 1939 to Kenneth and Florence, she married her college sweetheart "Barry" Jr. (Edwin Henry II) soon after college graduation. Shortly afterward her mother-in-law died in a house fire; six years later brought the shocking death of Barry Jr. in his 30's. Her second marriage ended in a painful divorce, causing her to declare she wouldn't risk falling in love again because she couldn't endure losing anyone else to death or divorce. Several decades later she did take the risk and found love once again, but this relationship too ended painfully.
Yet, those who knew Barbara know the tragedy she endured is not her story, that her story is one of resilience and love and finding joy in life. She learned how to live life to its fullest, and on her own terms. She exemplified how to be kind and supportive, and to never lose the childlike sense of mystery and wonder about this world and its unique people.
She continuously reinvented herself to adapt to the challenges life threw her way. Her first job was as a rollerskating waitress, and her professional career began as a 1st-grade school teacher, stepping down, as was the norm, when she first became pregnant. Raising children was her main responsibility for the next two decades, later becoming a volunteer EMT (emergency medical technician), riding in ambulances to serve those requiring emergency medical assistance.
With the need to support herself and her family she returned to school in her 40's to become a marriage and family therapist, knowing that her experiences would be used to help others going through similar situations. She worked as a marriage and family therapist at Catholic Charities for almost 3 decades and upon retirement opened her own private practice continuing her passion of helping others.
Her love for travel, and especially international travel, began when she participated in a university-sponsored trip to Tashkent, Russia (now Uzbekistan) in the early 1980's as part of her therapy training. With the arrival of her grandchildren, Barbara determined that she would take each of her grandkids on their own international trip when they turned teenagers. The kids could help plan the trip with the only caveat that the dominant language spoken could not be English.
If one were to describe her in three words they might choose words like resilient, strong, and loving, or determined, generous, and unique. Mom's three words when asked a couple of years ago was "I am adventurous." And her sense of adventure only increased as she got older and her work demands lessened. In her 60's she studied Nietzsche at a local college; took up tennis, volleyball, and tai chi; and retained her love of motorcycle riding, only trading in her motorcycle for a scooter. She continued skiing and honing her skills as a competitive backgammon and scrabble player. She spent hours enjoying the challenges of completing master level crossword puzzles.
In her 60's and 70's the trips with her 6 grandchildren took place, endowing them with the gift of travel and special lifelong memories forged with their grandmother. Barbara gazed at Michaelangelo's work in Florence with Alexandria, bicycled through Belgium with Matthew, walked the Great Wall of China with Tyler, explored the Berlin Wall with Taran, climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris with Austin, and swam with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands with Ellington. On other family trips she danced in a Nigerian village, volunteered at an orphanage in Nepal, rode a hot air balloon in Myanmar, swam the Red Sea in Jordan, and attended a wedding in India. She continued travelling internationally until she was 78.
Barabra began slowing down in her late 70's and by the time she reached her ninth decade it was now her time to be cared for. Her travel adventures were now behind, her work was finished. All she had done for others, the love, care, patience, and encouragement to all she came in contact with, was now hers to receive. When words became less frequent she especially loved holding hands, getting hugs, and giving pats anywhere on any person or dog within reach. Barbara died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones.
Barbara was blessed with four children: Edwin "Barry" Henry Koons III and his wife Theresa, A.Suzanne Woods and her husband David, Leslie Koons and her husband Oni Chukwu, and Lucius Dionysus and his fiancee Lindsey Arnold.
Six grandchildren: Alexandria, Matthew, Tyler, Taran, Austin, and Ellington.
Eight great-grandchildren: Ryann, Gaia, Rowan, Jude, Brooks, Indira, Evyn, Arrow, and Bodhi.
Her four siblings: William "Bill" and his wife Judy, Robert "Bob" and his wife Nancy, Peter and his wife Claudia, and Diane Tullo and
her husband Steve. Along with many nieces and nephews.
We celebrate the legacy of Barbara, a life well-lived and the countless lives she touched.
Services: A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 24th 2025 at Cantelmi Long Funeral Home ~ 500 Linden St. Bethlehem, PA 18018, where a viewing will be held from 10:00 AM until the time of the memorial service. Following the service, the burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery in Catasauqua, PA. A memory tribute may be made at www.cantelmifuneralhome.com
Contributions: In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Barbara's name to St. Luke's Hospice House www.slhn.org/Development/ways-to-give/make-a-gift
and/or Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Hartford, CT
https://www.ccaoh.org/how-you-can-help/donate/
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Barbara, please visit our floral store.
Published by WFMZ-TV 69 News on May 19, 2025.