REMEMBERED

Barbara Ober , 84, formerly on the denominational staff of the Church of the Brethren, passed away Aug. 8 at Timbercrest Healthcare Center in North Manchester, Ind. Born July 1, 1939, in Richmond, Va., she served the church most of her life. Her first job after high school was working for the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board. Her church career continued when she became part-time secretary for East Petersburg (Pa.) Church of the Brethren. Later, she was assistant to the director of the Center for Professional Development in Ministry at Lancaster (Pa.)Theological Seminary. From there, she was called as administrative assistant and mission interpreter for the World Ministries Commission of the Church of the Brethren, working at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

While in Elgin, she earned a bachelor’s degree from National Louis University. In 2000, she was ordained in the Church of the Brethren. Her final professional position was as pastor of Live Oak (Calif.) Church of the Brethren, retiring in 2009. She also was active in prison ministry through the Death Row Support Project, was on-call chaplain for a women’s prison, and volunteered with a domestic violence shelter. She is survived by daughters Diane Garber of Elizabethtown, Pa., and Janet Ober Lambert of Richmond, Ind., and their spouses; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held Oct. 7 at 2:30 p.m. at Timbercrest Senior Living Chapel. A full obituary is at ww.mckeemortuary.com/obituary/Barbara-Ober.