Barbara Birsinger Markhus

Barbara Markhus, age 74 of Needham, MA and Sanibel, FL, formerly longtime resident of Dover, MA, passed away November 12, 2011. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Daughter of the late Mary and Joseph Birsinger. Survived by husband Roger C., of 47 years, daughters, Janet and husband John Andrasko, and Kimberly and husband Ken High, and brother, Morand J. Birsinger. Barbara is also survived by grandchildren Magen and Andrew Andrasko, and Marlena, Audreyand Garrett High.
A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Barbara was formerly an elementary school teacher, a legal secretary, the assistant treasurer for The Dover Church, and bookkeeper for a local physician. She was involved in many aspects of the local community including being a founding member of the Chapboardtree Nursery School in Westwood, and serving on the boards of the Pride Parent organization of Chickering School and Caryl School of Dover, the Friends of the Dover Library, and League of Women Voters. She was also a member ofthe Dover Warrant Committee and a Trustee of the Dover Library.
A longtime member of the Dover Church, Barbara served on several committees, taught Sunday school and started the hand bell choir in the 1980s. Outside her local community, Barbara volunteered as a guide at the Massachusetts State House, served as a mediator with The Consumer Protection Agency in Framingham and Natick, and was a money manager for Baystate Elder Services. She loved to play tennis, ice skate, read, collect sea shells, play bridge and spend time at her beachside residence on Sanibel Island, FL.
A memorial service will be held at the Dover Church, 17 Springdale Ave., Dover,
MA on Friday, December 2, 2011 at 2 p.m. followed by a reception in Kraft Hall. The family requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 or the Dover Church.

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