I and my family will always remember Barbara and Gerry fondly.  They both met my son, Robert, when they visited Romania while he was in high school  and at the same time the leader of the Jewish Youth in Cluj-Napoca. They met again when he was accepted at a summer science camp at Ojai and were both very supportive not only then but also when he applied for universities in the USA. 

But most relevant to me, was the amazing offer Barbara had when Robert was already a freshman at Duke University and I was going through a really hard time missing both my sons.  She understood what the empty nest syndrome was and sent tickets for a flight to the US for me to see my son again and that might well have helped me get on my feet again. 

I will never forget that gesture of kindness for a person they had never met before! They hosted me and my son and showed us Los Angeles and introduced us to some of their friends.

Thank you for everything, Barbara, and thanks to the family for the opportunity to say this.

Barbara and I sit in my parents' living room during my spring break. I'm 19, a sophomore French major at Smith College, looking forward to spending my junior year in Paris. Barbara speaks of her junior year in Paris, one of the great experiences of her life. Her stories are lively and whet my appetite for the adventure to come. She tells me about her French family and a Parisian she dated, Philippe Jacob. She gives me his address and phone number. "I'm writing to Philippe about you," she says. "I want you to meet him." When I arrive in Paris, I contact Philippe. He turns out to be wonderful company, intelligent and charming, a guide to the best spots in Paris. Like Barbara, I stay in touch with Philippe through the years, and visit him in Paris in 2002. He and his wife, who remain close friends of Barbara's, invite me to dinner and a ballet. We remain friends until his death a few years ago. After my husband Roger and I move from Los Angeles to Mendocino in 2005, I stay in touch with Barbara. I have sweet memories of visiting her on Kenter, seeing photo albums of her travels, and hearing news of  her grandchildren. I remember her excitement in describing the trip to Madagascar (with Jacob and Aaron?) and meeting the lemurs. Her joie de vivre when showing me her photos embodies my best memories of Barbara.   Fran Schwartz, Mendocino CA, December 2024.

Barbara was my Girl Scout Troop Leader and Sara was a classmate of mine at Kenter, Paul Revere, and Pali. I loved Girl Scouts and our leader. I think I still have my sash filled with badges and remember sewing them on and being so proud. She taught  us a difficult patriotic song, took  us on field trips (Helm's bakery was a favorite - that might have been in Brownies?) and taught  us so much. A true leader and builder of my self-esteem as a young girl. I admire her greatly. She left a beautiful legacy. Sending my condolences.

I worked with Barbara in the Division of Adult Education where she was in charge of the Older Adult Program.  She was much beloved and greatly expanded the program.

We became friendly and she invited my husband and me to accompany her and Jerry on a Jewish tour of Romania.  It was a wonderful trip and one of the highlights of our many trips.

Barbara was a dynamo, so enthusiastic about everything she did and believed in

If was a privilege to know her and my condolences go out to her family whom she was very proud of and spoke lovingly about.

Very sincerely ,

Roberta Nathanson

In 2000, I was in desperate need of a job. I found the Programs for Older Adults phone number hidden away in the LAUSD website and called it (on a pay phone!). A cheery voice answered, "This is Barbara!" and five minutes later I hung up, a bit dazed, with a job interview for the following week. Within the first five minutes, we both knew I was "home", and Barbara mentored (and "nudged") me for the next ten years. I was fortunate to hike up the hill to the Kenter house several times, and just before the pandemic, Barbara and a friend attended a fall prevention workshop I facilitated at the Palisades Library.

Barbara was an inspiration to all her POA instructors. To this day, I try to answer my phone with "This is Miriam"! May her memory be a blessing.

The Fine family moved to Kenter Canyon in 1969, and when Nikki was eligible for Brownies/Girl Scouts, Barbara was the local troop leader. I had just matriculated into the UCLA School of Medicine and was unable to participate in the traditional way mothers were asked to sponsor meetings and provide weekday afternoon sessions. Barbara was thrilled to accommodate my needs so I could schedule weekend campout and cookie duties instead, and so my daughter was able to be a scout all through her Kenter years. The Boy scouts had no flexibility, and so our son was never able to join scouting.

We moved up the hill and became the across the street neighbors in 1980. Until our move to Scottsdale in 2019 Barbara  was our neighbor in residence. I did a bit of bandaging for garden accidents, assistance with the diabetes paraphenalia and and other medical issues over the years. Barbara allowed the Aloha Medical Mission to store supplies in her basement room to facilitate my packing the duffels for surgical missions over a decade.

She was so supportive of the evolution of my surgical career from student to  senior surgeon . She loved the tales of third world surgical care which complemented her travel interests.

At Thanksgiving time we drove to San Diego  with Barbara as a passenger so she could be with Helen for  a family feast.

Barbara aged with dignity while we shared the neighborhood.  She was missed after our move and now will be missed by all.

Marjorie Fine MD