Barbara May (Young) Reinhard

A Life Well Lived

Barbara was born in Garden City, South Dakota, to Alvin & Margaret Young. She had one older sister. The family moved to Salem, Oregon where she grew up, attended school and graduated from Willamette University, where she met her future husband, Dave Reinhard. Her senior year she was elected May Queen and dad managed the festivities. The driver of her parade car was future Oregon Governor and US Senator Mark Hatfield.

Mom & Dad lived in Seattle during WWII while he was overseas with the US Army. Her application to join the Waves was rejected because she was too small. Dave suggested that she eat bananas and drink beer to gain weight. That proved unsuccessful but she developed a lifelong distaste for beer. She worked as a secretary and administrative assistant during her career.

They lived in Seattle, Portland and finally Tacoma while Dave worked in the insurance industry. They loved the outdoors, boating and travel, which they continued after retirement. Dad passed away after 50 years of marriage. Mom continued to travel with friends and family. She lived her last few years at the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community, where she and Dave had volunteered for many years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister  Annetta Ferguson, and husband Dave. She is survived by nieces Jane Worthington and Beverly Haffner and nephew Alvin Dunn.  She is also survived by her son Bob (Joyce), granddaughters Jeana Barbieto (Donovan) and Jani Brown (Kevin), and great grandsons Carter Brown and Logan Brown, by whom she was affectionately known as "Great Barbara", which she truly was.

In a concession to the times, her 100th birthday was celebrated via family Zoom call. A family gathering and celebration of her life will be delayed until better times permit.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Bryan Morris-Ward and the wonderful staff at Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community for their excellent care of mom and many kindnesses to her and family. Please direct any remembrances to the charity of your choice.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Barbara May (Young) Reinhard, please visit our floral store.