It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Barbara Ann (Bennetti) Kellum of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania on August 22nd at the age of 84 years. Barbara died peacefully at St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Gibsonia PA after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Barbara was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who was devoted to her family and friends.

Born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1936, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Boston College, a first for her family. She continued her education and received a Master’s in Nursing Science as a Clinical Nurse Specialist from Rutgers University. Early in her career, she worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts where she met her husband whom she wed in the spring of 1961. She held academic appointments at both the University of Toledo, Ohio and William Paterson University of New Jersey. She was Chair of the Nursing Department of Orange County Community College from 1988-1998. Barbara never stopped caring for people. As she believed nursing was a “calling”, she would help friends, family and even strangers if they were in need. She was a true source of inspiration to others and left her mark on the nursing profession.

Barbara retired with her husband first to Morgantown WV and then to St. Barnabas in Gibsonia PA. In her retirement she was an avid gardener and enjoyed reading and volunteering at a local hospital and library.

Barbara is survived by her Husband, John of 60 years, her children, John (Nita), Janine (Alan), and David (Aparna), five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother William Bennetti, formerly of Maryland and her parents, William and Mary Bennetti, both formerly of Erie, Pennsylvania.