Barbara Ann Reifeis

Barbara Ann Reifeis May 14, 1927 - December 13, 2008 Barbara Ann Brown Reifeis, 81, of Toledo, passed away peacefully at home Saturday, December 13, 2008 following a short illness. Born in 1927 in, Greene County, Indiana, to Francis and Reba Brown, she grew up in Indianapolis where she met and married her husband, Edward, in 1946. They have been together ever since. They have four children: Craig (Kathy), of Charleston, SC; Scott (Lisa) and Marc (Beth), of Columbus, OH; and Stacy (John Toth), of Indianapolis. They, in turn, have been blessed with a total of 11 grandchildren (Adam, Kate, Jason, Allison, Erin, Alex, Erich, Jonathon, Michael, Matthew, Jack). She is also survived by her sister, Sally, of Stratford, VA. She attended Indiana University and was lifelong member of the AO?? sorority. Barbara was a true living example of the power of giving. She spent her entire adult life in service to others with the sole objective of doing what she could to make the lives of those she touched better in some way. Beginning in her early twenties as a Red Cross Grey Lady, she then became a District Director for her sorority, visiting chapters throughout the Midwest, and chaired a state convention. From there, she spent several years as a crisis line counselor with Rescue Crisis Services. Next, she became a labor room coach with Toledo Crittenton Services where she personally assisted 75 teen girls through labor and delivery. Because babies don??t wait, Barbara took calls at all hours of the day and night, ensuring that each young woman in need of personal support had someone there when they were needed. Following that, she served on the United Central Services board of directors for six years, including one as president and served on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Toledo working tirelessly to encourage financial support by speaking to countless groups. Somehow, among all of this, she also found time to work with the Arthritis Foundation, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Council on Family Violence of Lucas County, serve as a ??radio reader?? for the Toledo Society for the Blind, and in her spare time, own Glass Graphics, a business incentive item company. In 1988, she was honored with the Henry L. Morse award, United Way??s highest recognition for volunteer achievement. She might have considered slowing down just a bit, but instead pushed ahead, volunteering at UT Medical Center in various capacities, most recently, until this September, as a Surgical Waiting Room Assistant, providing comfort to family members of surgery patients. In a self aggrandizing age, her selfless and relentless willingness to lead from the front are truly an example most can only aspire to achieve. She lived well, laughed often, and loved much. She had the respect of men, women, and the love of little children. She felt the beauty of the world and expressed it. She saw the best and worst of her fellow man, and never lost hope or optimism. She has left the world a better place than she found it. Her life was an inspiration, her memory a benediction.