Barbara Anne Traver Lunde passed away peacefully after her long battle with Alzheimer’s on Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at the age of 88. She was born in Arkville, New York, and was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene F. and Grace G. Smith Traver, and brother Robert W. Traver.
On December 27, 1953, Barbara married Carl K. Lunde, who preceded her in death on June 5, 2018. They had a long and happy marriage together. Surviving are her three loving daughters, Sharon Lunde of Indianapolis, IN, Pam (Mark) Jackson of Kalamazoo, MI, and Beth (Ken) Lunde-Stockero of Crystal Falls, MI; and her six grandchildren Anne Johnson Katz, Charles (Tera) Johnson, Sarah (Jeff) Jackson Caldwell, Samuel Johnson, Rebecca (Michael) Jackson Bailen, Joseph Lunde Wagner; and five great-grandchildren, Benjamin Caldwell, Jennie Katz, Lincoln Johnson, Theo Katz, and Connor Caldwell.
Barbara grew up in the New York Catskill Mountains area surrounded by family. She attended Margaretville High School in New York, where she graduated in 1949 as the valedictorian in a class of 25. Subsequently, she attended Albany Medical Center School of Nursing, where she earned her Registered Nurse (RN) license. Barbara traveled with her husband during his Navy years on the US east coast, holding down the family fort during his deployments overseas. Barbara worked as an RN throughout her young married life until she earned her real estate license in later years, selling properties in Milford, OH, and Bettendorf, IA.
When Barbara and Carl retired, they spent 25 years in Nashville and Bloomington, IN. They loved Brown County, their worldly slice of heaven. They shared their beautiful homestead with their family and had many fond memories of time spent there. Of their six grandchildren, four of them attended Indiana University, close enough for cookouts, featuring her famous flank steak.
Barbara’s favorite place to vacation was the beach; she loved to have sand under her feet as she walked along the water’s edge. She was an avid animal lover, reader, and gardener. Her flower beds were a labor of love and were enjoyed many evenings on their backyard deck during the sunset with dogs at her feet and a cat in her lap. Barbara passed along these loves to her daughters.
A memorial service and interment will be held at the Cemetery of the Evergreens in New Lebanon, NY, at a later date. Memorials may be directed to the Brown County Humane Society www.bchumane.org, an organization Barbara and Carl lovingly supported for many years while living in Indiana. Please visit Barbara’s personalized webpage to sign the online guestbook or leave a condolence at www.langelands.com.