Please join us for a potluck brunch to celebrate Barb and the community she helped build in Chicago. Bring a dish, a favorite memory, and - if you'd like - a plant that we'll add to her memorial garden at the house.
Giving
The memorial organizer requested donations in honor of Barbara Muchisky
Join us in celebrating the life of Barbara Muchisky. Contribute to this lasting memorial by sharing stories, memories, photos, and videos. As we plan gatherings, we will post invites with event information here. Share this memorial with family and friends, and remember to RSVP to help us plan.
OBITUARY
Barbara was a lifelong teacher who taught all of us about friendship, kindness, joy, laughter, and adventure. She lived her life to very fullest and has loving friends and family spread out across the world. There are not words enough to thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of support over these last few weeks. Your stories, care, and love are all a testament to her life and generous, loving spirit.Barb grew up in Wisconsin... see moreBarbara was a lifelong teacher who taught all of us about friendship, kindness, joy, laughter, and adventure. She lived her life to very fullest and has loving friends and family spread out across the world. There are not words enough to thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of support over these last few weeks. Your stories, care, and love are all a testament to her life and generous, loving spirit.
Barb grew up in Wisconsin with her sister Ann, where they cultivated a lifelong love of ice cream.
Upon graduating college, Barb joined the Peace Corps and after 3 months training in Puerto Rico was assigned to the rural department of Boyaca where she, along with her partner, offered wellness classes as part of a healthcare project in Guateque, Boyaca. Barb’s time in Colombia was shortened by health issues, but she retained a lifelong interest in Colombia and returned to the country over the years, volunteering to provide teacher training workshops to English teachers.
After Peace Corps, Barb got her MA in Spanish and taught ELL classes for hundreds of elementary school kids and adults in Lincoln and Boston.
Barb was fond of saying she’d had a big life for small town Wisconsin girl. She lived in New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, Poland, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Chicago. She was quick to make friends and brought a little piece of all these places with her.
Few things made Barb happier than an airline ticket and her camera. She traveled all over the world with friends and family. She infected so many of us with the travel bug and brought a sense of joy and wonder wherever we went together. Among her many travels were Italy, Ireland, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Panama, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Poland, England, Alaska, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Cuba, and Colombia.
After she retired, she was on to the next adventure. She moved to Alligator Point, FL, joined the turtle patrol, made friends with the locals, and committed herself to her other lifelong passions, reading and art. Her home was ever full of books, the vast majority of which she’d read cover to cover. She also somehow found the time to keep up on the news, both international and local. She would gladly discuss politics over happy hour drinks. There was almost always a painting in progress on her porch and she took painting and art classes with friends across the country.
Last year, she moved to Chicago where we bought a two-flat together. The house has been a work in progress while she joined us in throwing ourselves into a political campaign to win a City Council seat. She collected petition signatures, talked to voters in nursing homes, and sent a steady supply of tamales for the weekend canvassers.
She never missed a chance to celebrate the day with happy hour, complete with cocktails, snacks, and a conversation about the days news and events. Please join us in carrying on her tradition by leaving your toast, photos, and memories on this page. We’ll also have a series of memorials around the county and will list the events here as the details get settled.