Individual Details

Death

Jane (Jay) H. Barr, 93, of Hendersonville, NC, died on Thursday, October 5, 2017. She was born in Chicago, IL to Alice and Eugene Herthel on April 11, 1924. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Charles (Chas) B. Barr, her sister Mary H. Graves and her brother-in-law, Richard (Dick) M. Barr. Jay is survived by her three daughters, Nancy Russell, Janet Furr and Louise Arends (Rod) and three nieces. She is also survived by her 8 grandchildren: Alice (Cameron), Jonathan (Danielle), Brian, Lindsay (Joe), Adam, Allison (Kyle), Hayley (Josh) and Quinlan. She has 5 great- grandchildren: Abigail, Chase, Liam, Finley and Shevi. She also considered her family to include her Godchildren, Lisa Mae Thompson and Bill Herthel, and her French exchange daughter, Isabelle Jassaud. Jay graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, MN in 1946 with a major in mathematics and physics. She also earned a Certificate in Environmental Studies from Cal State Long Beach, CA. Jay fought back from a horrific fall in February 2017 to return home to her cottage after 4 months of rehab. She had many cheerleaders in her recovery. Some of her joys included gardening, reading, quilting, knitting, outdoor activities, traveling and lifelong learning. She was an active member of Trinity Presbyterian Church where she served as elder and was a member of the Rebekah Circle. She was a lifetime Girl Scout member, and was active in 4 states over the years. She worked countless hours and drove countless miles for FISH over 30 years. She sometimes shared her gifts and talents loudly, as with her gardens and sewing projects, especially her quilts. She sometimes shared her gifts quietly, as with her Wednesday morning work at the NC Arboretum for over 30 years and her heartfelt donations. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, November 4 at 10:00 am at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 900 Blythe Street, Hendersonville, NC 28791. Please join us in wearing flowers, birds or butterflies to Jay's celebration. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jay's memory to The North Carolina Arboretum Society to support volunteers at the arboretum. The address is North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Fredrick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806.
Published in The Times-News on Oct. 29, 2017