Barbara Barton

Barbara Ann Barton of Kalamazoo, MI passed away on June 15, 2017 at the age of 55, after a fierce battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Preceded in death by her father and mother, Fred and Agnes Barton and survived by her sister and brother in law Sondra and Ron Bialkowski, niece and nephews, Brandon, Lauren and Nick Bialkowski. The Bialkowski family adored her and called her "crazy and fun" Aunt Barb. Barbara Ann Barton was born in Detroit, Michigan. She attended Crary Junior High, Waterford Mott High School and went on to pursue her higher level education at Michigan State University, where she accomplished her PhD in order to become a professor. Her greatest passion was to mentor and develop young professionals and guide them into the social work field. Since Barb held executive positions in several non-profit organizations, including the American Cancer Society, she encourages others to give back to the critically ill and those with disabilities. Her motto was "always see the ability in those with disabilities." Barb was extremely involved at Western Michigan University and within the community. She held various positions including, School of Social Work Coordinator; Policy, Planning and Administration Coordinator; Development and Alumni Relations Coordinator; RCT Counseling and CORE Advisory Committee; BLVS Program Experiential Ed PAT Member and Former chair; Senate EUP Committee; Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital Community Advisory Committee. Barb was a certifiable workaholic. She was an Associate Professor of Social Work at Western Michigan University and recently retired in October 2016. She primarily taught Leadership and Organizational Development courses at the Masters level. Barb has been in the rehabilitation and brain injury fields as a clinician and an administrator for over 20 years. She is a proud Michigan State Spartan with a number of service and teaching awards. She also pursued her passion and bucket list item of writing her own book and recently published her book, "The Cathedral of the Flowing Locks". This creative non-fiction book, available on Amazon, is a collection of her life stories and fun memories. Outside of her career, Barb was very active in community theater and always enjoyed being on stage. She was known for being extremely entertaining and funny. Barb also enjoyed shopping, karaoke, art fairs, concerts and attending plays. A memorial service for Barb is currently pending. If you would like to receive information on Barb's celebration of life, please contact her sister Sondra at Sondra.Bialkowski@gmail.com.