Barbara was 71 years old. She was born July 12th, 1942 and died Thursday February 13th, 2014.
   Barbara resided in Chicago, IL at the time of her death.
She was the daughter of the late Keith and Audrey White and the sister to Mike White, who was at her side when she lost her battle with cancer, along with her dear friends Maureen Weiss, Susan Hansen, and Hazel Vespa.
She earned her B.A. degree from North Park College and earned her Master of Social Work degree from Loyola University, Chicago.
   Barbara worked 18 years at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Child Protective Services, where she mentored, trained, and supervised new social workers, as well as worked on the front lines of protective services.
She retired after years working at Thresholds Mothers Project. Barbara served on the Infant Death Review Board, Local and National Assn. of Social work committees, and served on her condominium board.
Barb attended Bethany Covenant Church in Ripon, CA and Willow Creek Church in Chicago.
   She was an avid pet lover. She loved all animals, especially her kitties, Thomas and Joshua.
   She was a gentle and kindhearted friend. She loved her “Birthday Group” that originated in 1980 and consisted of her co-workers from Children’s Hospital and her dear friends; Hazel Vespa; Susan Hanson; Rhoda Bernstein; Sandy Rich; Barbara Soricili; Linda North; and Barb. They all met and were employed at Children’s Memorial Hospital.
   She loved to play Mexican Train with whomever... whenever. A staunch liberal, Barbara enjoyed the intellectual pursuit of political and social issues and discussed them with passion and clarity.
    She liked to hike and was excited about travel, especially her trips to Paris. Around 4 pm, Barb would find a cafe, preferably outdoors, where she could savor a glass of wine and take in her surroundings. A self-described “shy” person, Barb never hesitated to converse with people she had just met, and enjoyed sharing her new knowledge with her long-time friends.
   Even though Barb lived most of her life in Chicago, she considered Ripon her home. Her only regret was that she never made it back home.
   We will honor Barbara’s wishes to be cremated. A memorial service will be held both in Chicago and in the Santa Cruz mountains.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your local animal shelter or your favorite charity .
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Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Thursday, February 20, 2014