Barbara Irwin Case Nial

Mom passed away during the early morning hours of October 16, 2006, at Harbor Care in Oak Harbor. She will be dearly missed by all who love her, but we will treasure the lessons of life she taught us, and the memories of countless joyful and fun times we had with her.

Born Barbara Irwin Case to Paul Leland Case and Fannie Talcott Irwin in Caldwell, Idaho, she was active in clubs throughout high school and went on to the University of Washington, the College of Idaho, and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. She met and married George Brendan Nial after WWII and raised a family in the same town she grew up in. She taught kindergarten for two years then resumed her college education at the College of Idaho with the goal of attaining a teaching certificate. She and George made a move to Romeo, Mich., and she finished school at Oakland University in Rochester, getting a teaching certificate and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English. She taught high school English for several years in Michigan before retiring with her husband to Oak Harbor.

Mom was a life-long and active member of the Presbyterian Church, acting as deacon and seving on many committees. She was a member of the women’s educational and philanthropic organization, P.E.O., for 54 years and active in its leadership. She is preceded in death by her parents, her beloved sisters Betty and Janet, and her husband George. She is survived by her three children, Karing (Catherine), Diana, and Mani (George Jr.); son-in-law Joe; two grandsons Mangala and Jerme; and a niece, nephews, and many grand nieces and nephews she greatly loved.

In accordance with her wishes, Mom’s body will be cremated and her ashes will join her husband’s in their beloved Puget Sound.

Memorial gifts can be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, www.bcrfcure.org, 60 East 56th Street, 8th floor, NY, NY 10022.

The family invites you to celebrate her life at the Memorial Service held at Whidbey Presbyterian Church at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27.