Barbara Burton Kleinert, age 74, went to be with the Lord on May 14, 2022. Barbara was born on September 25, 1947 in Natick, Massachusetts to Granville and Ruth Burton. She was the first child of three. She was raised in Levittown, Pennsylvania where she attended and graduated from Neshaminy High School, in Langhorne, PA. Barbara earned a Practical Nursing Degree from Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in Philadelphia, PA.

Barbara was very active in church as a child and into adulthood. She enjoyed singing in the choir and playing instruments. As a child she played piano but eventually found guitar to be her instrument of choice. She also volunteered at the U.S.O. where she eventually met the love of her life, Jack Kleinert an Airforce Sergeant. Jack and Barbara were married on March 23, 1974 at McGuire Air Force base in New Jersey. Family was important and they had a son Scott in 1976 and a daughter Christie in 1980. Barbara had worked nights at the hospital for a time while Jack continued his Bachelor's degree.

The family then moved to Colorado to be near Jack’s family. Barbara stayed home with their young children and supported Jack while he worked and completed his Master’s degree. Once both children were in school Barbara rejoined the workforce as a teacher’s aide for special needs children at Stratton Elementary School in Colorado Springs, CO. Barbara continued to volunteer and was active in her church. She was passionate about helping those in prison and became involved in the prison ministry, Kairos. Her beautiful voice and talented guitar playing brought joy to the women with whom she worked.

When the family moved from Colorado to Northern Virginia, Barbara started working with children with intellectual and physical disabilities at Frederick Douglass Elementary in Leesburg. She was a member of the Church of the Holy Comforter, where she reconnected with her beloved Kairos mission work as well as the Dakota Team, a youth mission that traveled to Pine Ridge Sioux reservation in South Dakota.

Barbara was ever the supportive mother. She cheered on her son during bowling tournaments or soccer games. She also made it possible for a horse crazy daughter to fulfill her dreams of riding horses and took her to weekly lessons but made sure that daughter immediately cleaned up and showered so her allergic husband would not have breathing issues when they arrived home!

While both children were in college and grad school Barbara and Jack moved back to Colorado, a place they both felt was their true home. There the two built their empty nester dream home in Larkspur Colorado. Barbara continued to work with children via the Head Start program and Therapeutic Riding programs. Barbara had a dream to hike in the Grand Canyon and in 2011 she and Jack spent several weeks at the Grand Canyon and other desert state parks. Her photos, another passion, were beautiful.

Barbara was always a warm person. Jack had told his daughter once that he married her because of her heart, he’d said she had a “heart of gold”. Everyone who knew her was touched by her concern and care for others. She helped others see the beauty in life and in themselves. Barbara also had a passion for the small animals that resided outside her homes. Her children remember eating breakfast every morning while being entertained by the numerous birds and squirrels that would be on the back deck eating the nuts and seeds Barbara had put out for them.

Barbara was preceded in death by her beloved husband Jack, who passed away on January 14, 2022, as well as by her father and Mother, Granville and Ruth Burton. Barbara is survived by her son Scott Kleinert and his wife Brianne, of Buena Vista, VA and grandsons Bryson and Colton; her daughter Christine Maszkiewicz and her husband Steven, of Bahama, NC and granddaughter Cierra; her brother David Burton (and wife Judy) and sister Laurie Wessely (and husband Jim); her nieces Jenni, Autumn, Katie and Robyn; nephews Steven, Doug, and Kyle; her dear friend Mary Ellis, her close room mate during nursing school Fran Ward, her best friend since childhood Diane “Dee” Wilson and many other beloved friends and family members.

A public memorial service for Barbara will be held on July 23, 2022 at 3pm at the Emmaus Anglican Church in Castle Rock, Colorado. Arrangements were made by Burthey Funeral Home in Durham, NC. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org/ 

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