Barbara W Bach

February  27th, 1930 December  3rd, 2024
Amherst, Massachusetts via Washington, DC
Barbara W Bach

While Barbara will be deeply missed, she would want us to celebrate her life and the contribution she was to everyone she met. She was an angel on this earth making time to support whomever she encountered. Please feel free to add your memories and comments here.

Obituary

Barbara Bach died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 94 on December 3, 2024. She was born in Washington, DC on February 27, 1930 to Clarence Elgin Werback and Margaret Virginia Matthias Werback. She lived in the DC area for almost 65 years. She moved to New England to be near her daughter and grandchildren and lived in the area for over 25 years. She is predeceased by her brothers, William and Elgin Werback, her beloved niece, Kelly Pooler, and her son, Mark Moran. She has two surviving sisters in the DC area, Rosalie Reidy and Margaret Pezeshki. Her daughter and son in law, Timi and Jeff McGary, live in McLean, VA, and her daughter and son in law, Tammy and Philip Parks live in Amherst, MA, with whom she lived for the last 15 years of her life. She has many family members still living in the DC area, including her nephews, William Bortz and Jonah Pezeshki, and her niece, Krista Werback. and four grandsons living in New England, Noah Sax, and Zachary, Matthew, and William Parks.



She was a friend of Bill’s and acted as sponsor to many people. She was a proud Democrat and Unitarian. During her long career, she worked at the African American Institute in DC in the 1950’s and was a civil rights champion throughout her life. She also worked for several years as a drug and alcohol counselor helping youth get treatment rather than jail time, and worked in the prison system with hardened criminals, finding a way to connect and support their rehabilitation. Later, she was a real estate agent in Florida and a children’s theater office manager in Maryland. She played tennis semi-professionally and acted as a tournament official.



Barbara was a social butterfly and had many friends from all walks of life. She was vivacious and fun and was always the one planning trips to the beach, visits to friends across the US, bridge club parties, and more. She loved art, design, architecture, gardens and craft shops. She lived in Exeter England for a few years and loved traveling around Europe. She was a snappy dresser and was known for taking creative risks, like asymmetrical haircuts and beetle green nail polish. Later in life, she loved to go to lunch with family and friends and was always on the hunt for good pistachio ice cream.  She is missed every day by her daughters, Timi and Tammy.




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January 15, 2025
I am having a very hard time saying goodbye to Barbara. When I think of the love, care, support, and happiness she brought to my life I know that I was really, really lucky to know her. I wish all of Barbara‘s friends and family, love, peace, and serenity at this time of mourning. Barbara was a truly exceptional human being who shared her compassion, love, insight, and support with everyone she knew. I’ve known Barbara since I was young and I feel fortunate to have been able to stay in touch with her throughout our lives over the past 50+ years! I can’t thank her enough for her willingness to care for me and the rest of all of her family. We shared many silly, funny, happy, warm moments over the years. I recall fondly the times we all celebrated birthdays, holidays, played games together and countless trips to the farm! She had a wonderful sense of humor and a cheerful boisterous laugh that was infectious! When we were all together, with her and other folks in the family we could laugh so hard we could hardly breathe. I can still hear her bubbly, happy laugh, and when she burst out laughing I just had to laugh along with her! I remember it fondlly. Her warmth, love, compassion, insight, friendship and support will be sorely missed. I feel so glad to have been able to know Barbara over the years and that she was in my life. She was a true angel on earth and I loved her and I will miss her. Love and hugs to everyone around her who is also missing her like I am!
Lisa Burwell
January 2, 2025
She was a wonderful person. Always positive and full of laughter. She’ll surely be missed!
Marilyn Werback
January 1, 2025
I missed you , Barbara!
I’m so sorry for your loss ,Tammy .
Thu Belliveau
December 26, 2024
Barb was known to all of us in the Cooley family (Jean, Brian, Stuart and me, Laura Cooley), mostly from her time living in the DC area. We always appreciated her wonderful sense of humor and her original ways of describing experiences she had. She was so much fun! And, as others have described, hearing of her work as a counselor was so impactful.

Barb was a dear, close friend to our mother, Anne W. Cooley (who lived from 1925-2010). They had many adventures together, especially when they both lived and worked in the DC area during the 1970s-1990s. They played a lot of tennis together in the large tennis group they were members of and which was mostly for singles or divorcees in the DC/MD/VA area. For several years (over 15 at least) members of the group performed original tennis musicals that Anne Cooley wrote and that were performed at the group’s annual banquet. The musicals involved plots that revolved around romance on and off the tennis court, with lyrics to other well-known songs changed and adapted to fit the story. Year after year Barb assisted by being the word prompter for the many rehearsals. She knew how to gracefully prompt or correct people during the rehearsals if they flubbed their lines. :) Barb and Anne took a number of trips together as well. They had a long friendship. The last birthday party Anne Cooley attended before her death in 2010 was Barb’s 80th in Rockville, Md.

I was lucky enough to visit her in Amherst several years back. I was amazed how she could navigate her apartment and her beloved dog, despite poor eyesight.

She will be sorely missed. She was a force for good in the world.
Laura Cooley
December 19, 2024
Barbara was my dear friend for 44 years. I have so many happy memories of all the laughter and fun times we shared. I will miss her wisdom, her compassion, and her love for life. Barbara made the world a better place for so many people, and I feel blessed to have been her friend.

Rest easy, Barb. I'll see you again on our next turn around this crazy world. You are loved.
Jane Hayes
December 17, 2024
Barbara was such a loving woman. She always called dad (her grandson) and I (her great granddaughter) angels, and that kindness left a strong impression on me. She was so fiercely herself, in all of her beauty and sass, unafraid to be honest and simultaneously so compassionate and kind. She will always be a role model to me. I’m so lucky to have known her and to have had her influence in my young life.
Rish Inanna
December 16, 2024
Barbara gave so much of her time, self and love to me and many others in the 12-step community. The first time I saw and heard her, I knew she had what I wanted as she threw her head back & laughed - guffawed! - at her own joke. She truly brought "comfort and joy" to a lot of oppressed, broken people. I smile when I consider her reunited with her beloved Joey, Mark and all her dear ones welcoming her Home
Cheryl Stevens
December 16, 2024
I miss my amazing mother so much, but know she felt complete with life and was ready for her “next adventure.” She was fortunate to be able visit with and say goodbye to many family members over this Thanksgiving holiday. She loved us all and wished only for our happiness. That is who she was. She had such strong empathy that she could feel the struggles of others and did what she could to support their healing. Her life was not without difficulty and she continued to grow and evolve to the end, where she was clear that, simply, love is the answer. She always had my back and was ready to listen, celebrate, sympathize and encourage me no matter the circumstances. We could be completely open with one another, which is a gift for a daughter to have with her mom. I am thankful to have had her throughout my life and will hold her forever in my heart.
Timi McGary
December 13, 2024
Barbara will forever be missed and always be in our hearts. ♡ She treated me as an equal and a friend. I love her like she was my own grandmother. I will miss her crazy stories and her infectious laughter. She was a special vibrant woman and there will never be anyone like her. I know she was ready and believed in reincarnation so I will think about her everytime I hear a bird chirp or a butterfly happens to land near by. I know she'll always be close by the people she loves. Barbara forever in our hearts and minds!♡
Ladajah Snow

Family tree

Clarence Elgin Werback
Margaret Virginia Matthias Werback
David Dorsey Moran
John Burwell
Rosalie Werback Reidy
Margaret Pezeshki
Mark Moran
Noah Sax
Timi McGary
Tammy Parks
Zachary Parks
Matthew Parks
William Parks
William Werback
Elgin Werback
Rosalie Werback Reidy
Margaret Pezeshki
William Werback
Elgin Werback
David Dorsey Moran
John Burwell
Mark Moran
Noah Sax
Timi McGary
Tammy Parks
Zachary Parks
Matthew Parks
William Parks
Barbara Bach
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