In Loving Memory

My sweet Auntie Barbara passed away on Friday night. She was my mom's only sister-17 years apart!


Because of this age gap, she was more like a grandmother to me than an aunt. She was a lover of all things music, art, education, personal expression, conversation and travel. Like all of my mom's siblings, Auntie Barbara had a beautiful soprano singing voice. She is a big contributing factor to my love of playing games. I always knew I could count on her for a game of Skip-bo, Uno, Rummikub, Taboo- you name it!

{My mom's siblings}


Barbara's son-in-law and my sister did a much better job writing about my aunt and her extremely accomplished life!


Barbara Dalberg was born, August 5, 1936 in Denver, Colorado, to Walter and Marie Martin, becoming the fourth child and the first daughter of the growing family. The fourth son, Jim, and the second daughter, Cheryl, would follow to complete a family of six. Her early life was spent in Denver where she attended South High School, participating in many school activities including Acapella Concert Choir. It was there, as well as in her churches - the Church of Christ in Englewood and Wheat Ridge - that her lifelong love of music began.

In 1954, after high school, Barbara married Lee Dalberg, and both moved to California where she began her journey of education at Pepperdine College in Los Angeles, CA. Shortly thereafter, she was blessed with the first of many accomplishments in life: three children of her own. She would eventfully finish her Bachelor of Science/Secondary Teaching and Masters degrees in Educational Psychology from the University of Colorado. Barbara obtained all of her degrees over the course of 20 years, going to school part-time, while she raised her three children, taking at least one course each semester. Ever pressing on, she then obtained her PhD in Health Psychology from Columbia Pacific University. Her dissertation was on the exploration of feminist spirituality, which would later provide a foundation for her lifelong narrative and one of her greatest accomplishments.

An accomplished and educated woman, Barbara’s other credentials include:
•Diplomat from College of Pastoral Supervision
•Counselor - National Board of Certified Counselors
•Licensed Professional Counselor - State of Colorado Board of Professional Counselor Examiners
•Member of the American Counseling Association

Barbara always had a heart for serving those around her and offering a wise word. She held many leadership positions over her lifetime, including:
•Counselor and Director of Colorado Christian Services Adoption Agency
•Counselor at Lutheran Family Services, Adoption Agency
•Teacher at Red Rocks Community College
•Teacher at Metro State College
•Adjunct Professor at Regis University
•Board of Directors of the Adoption Exchange covering eight states
•Board of Directors Institute of Life and Care (for Medical personnel and other care givers)
•Psychotherapist in private practice for 30 years for teenagers, couples, and individuals
•Teacher and supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education (Chaplaincy)

In addition to the vast number of leadership roles, Barbara spent most of her adult life singing in choir. Whether in the South High Alumni Choir or the Rockland Community Church choir, near the end of her life, her beautiful soprano voice could be heard. She had many favorite hymns which she enjoyed singing with her siblings at family reunions or with friends at church, but she especially loved to sing classic religious music. Her love of music even went beyond the mainstream; for example, she loved medieval music, Gregorian chants, and the music of nature—the wind, the ocean, the birds—and were you to step into her home you might hear the sounds of the mighty Pacific or the warbling of a wren.

Anyone who knew Barbara, knew that books were her friends. She was an avaricious reader and although a teacher and counselor, she was a lifelong learner. She took up the study of Greek while in her fifties. She studied the Great Books and was conversant with the philosophic milieu of ancient, medieval, renaissance, enlightenment and contemporary thinkers. She was especially fond of the medieval mystics, such as Meister Eckhart, Hildegaard von Bingen, and Julian of Norwich.

An articulate and outgoing person, Barbara was a frequent seminar speaker in the Denver metropolitan area as well as throughout the country and yet she maintained a private counseling practice out of her home. Committed to giving back and leading others, she taught courses in Psychology and Death and Dying at Regis University, Red Rocks Community College, Metropolitan State College of Denver among others. She was also an instructor in the chaplaincy certification program through Rocky Mountain Center for Education and Training. It is through these efforts and accomplishments that she touched many, deeply, and will be remembered for her sharp mind, her caring heart, and her wise counsel.

Barbara is survived by her three children: Steve (Steffon), Jeanine (Jeanie) and husband Timothy Merrill, and Gerald (Jerry) and wife Dana, and five grandchildren: Taylor Williams, Spenser Williams, Dezon Dalberg, Shonna Clark and Dax Dalberg.

She is also survived by her siblings Warren Martin and wife Trudy, Richard (Dick) Martin and wife Barbara, James (Jim) Martin and wife Ann and Cheryl (Cheri) and husband Dennis Richardson and many nephews and nieces and adoring family. She was preceded in death by her brother Robert Edward Martin and her mother and father, Walter and Marie Martin.

Barbara left us on Friday, August 12, 2011, exactly one week after her 75th birthday.