Barbara Kerns Groseclose, 65, of Rising Sun, MD, died May 21, 2012 at the University of Maryland Medical Center after a long and courageous battle with lung disease.
Barbara was born on August 5, 1946 in Washington, PA to James and Mary Evelyn Kerns. She graduated from Rising Sun High School in 1964 and went on to attend Towson State College after which she returned home and became a speech therapist. Soon afterward, she received her master’s degree and became the first Speech and Language Pathologist employed by the Cecil County Public Schools. Recognized by her peers as a pioneer in the development of the Speech and Language program in the school system, Barbara had a positive effect on the many children she came in contact with throughout the county. She took great pride in mentoring and leading others in her profession. She retired in 2007 after 39 years of service to the children of Cecil County.
Barbara was a member of the Janes United Methodist Church Gathering Place, Past Matron of Havre de Grace Chapter 27 Order of the Eastern Star and Red Hats. She also volunteered at Union Hospital. She enjoyed spending time in their mountain vacation home in West Virginia and with their cats. She was a very creative person who used this gift in every aspect of her personal and professional life and enjoyed making stained glass pieces, photography and crafting. For many years, at Christmas, she and her father would create a themed dollhouse for Ashby’s store window.
She is survived by her loving husband of 20 years, Ray Groseclose; mother Mary Evelyn Kerns; brother and sister-in-law Timothy and Dale Kerns and their children, Katy and Alex, all of Rising Sun; mother-in-law Doris Groseclose of Oxford, PA; sisters-in-law Nancy Wright and her husband Richard of North East; Susan Groseclose of Bel-Air; Beth Groseclose of Exton, PA and her aunts, Enis Best and Myrtle Belle Matheson as well as extended family and countless friends. She was preceded in death by her father, James C. Kerns.
Services will be held Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at R.T. Foard Funeral Home, P.A. 111 S. Queen St., Rising Sun, MD 21911. Friends and family may call at the funeral home beginning at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be private.