Barbara Clare Gregoire

A CELEBRATION of LIFE for Barbara will be held on Saturday, July 24, starting at 3:00 pm. At daughter Carla Manchesters house. Please RSVP to: Carlamanchester21@gmail.com A Celebration in Memory of Barbara Clare Kuenzie Gregoire b. March 1, 1932 Milwaukee, Wisconsin d. May 26, 2021 Santa Barbara, California Barbara died peacefully in her home in the Vista Del Monte retirement community after a short and unexpected illness. She had the opportunity to visit with all of her children and most of her grandchildren in person in the days before her death. Those grandchildren that could not visit in person had touching and significant telephone and video visits with her. During her life, Barbara overwhelmed her children and grandchildren with her love and admiration. Every family event was centered on her because of her joie de vivre. Its no surprise that she was always surrounded by many friends. Barbara was talented, friendly, funny and vivacious. She enjoyed golf, water volleyball, quilting, weaving, traveling, sewing, cooking, entertaining and was a lifelong avid Green Bay Packers fan. She would have had so much of a thrill if the Packers won it big this year. Barbara is survived by her five children Paula Gregoire-Jones (David), Laura Alarid (Joseph), Daniel Gregoire (Linda), John Gregoire and Carla Manchester (Brent), and her nine grandchildren Rosemary, Samuel, Jacob, Katie, Sarah, Ryan, Adam, Daniel and James. Barbara was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the heart of the Great Depression to Jack and Lorraine Kuenzie. Her great love for and skill in cooking and baking started at the tender age of 8 when she started helping her working mother by cooking the family dinner after school. She attended Pope Pius XII high school where she made many life long friends, some of whom she saw as recently as her 60th high school reunion 2010. After high school, she enrolled in the Education credential program at Marquette University and eventually became an elementary school teacher. While at Marquette, she met the love of her life, Paul Gregoire, a dashing young engineering student and Air Force veteran with a resemblance to Frank Sinatra. On a wintry day in May, Paul took Barbara to the Lapham Peak tower, the highest point in the Kettle Moraine State Forest, in the middle of an unseasonal snowstorm. As they gazed on the beautiful scenery for miles around, Paul proposed to Barbara. I think she said yes, because in later years the family of seven would make annual pilgrimages to the tower. The kids didn’t really know why they went there, they just thought it was a cool place. On August 24 1954, Barbara and Paul married; it was a marriage that would last until Paul’s death 48 years later. Barbara started teaching elementary school and Paul started his career as an engineer. Paula, Laura and Daniel quickly came in 1955, 56 and 57 respectively, followed by John in 1959 and Carla in 1962. Whew! Did I mention they had a Catholic upbringing? The young family had many adventures camping and traveling together and always remember the fun that Barbara brought with her. Barbara enjoyed camping and traveling, and it became a lifelong passion for her. During the 60s, 70s and 80s, the family loaded up the station wagon and tent trailer and took many long camping trips around the US, visiting most of the states and seeing all the most famous sights in the land. Barbara was famously known for entreating the children to enjoy the scenery during many tedious five -hour drives; you know how that went. Barbara is also remembered for her flair for delicious camping cuisine and her adventurous spirit during hikes, campouts and swimming. In 1972, Barbara and family moved to Santa Barbara, CA when Paul’s company, Delco Electronics, transferred 350 long-time Wisconsinites to sunny Southern California. She had to leave all her friends and family behind, but Barbara really blossomed in the new environment, making many lifelong friends in her new neighborhood, in the Delco golf club and in the Santa Barbara newcomers club. In particular, her next-door neighbor, Shari Shepherd, became her life long best friend, and Shari’s one-year-old son Eric grew up to be Barbara’s orthopedic surgeon. Despite the warmer climes, the family had a few rocky years with some heartache and tough-love decisions to be made. But with Barbara’s undying love for and faith in her children, they all emerged into adulthood as people that she says she is “so proud of who they are and what they have accomplished” While in SB, Barbara tried teaching for a while, but couldn’t find a full-time position, so she parlayed her skill in cooking and baking into a new career. She had to bluff her way into getting her first job, but her performance on the job justified the bluff. Over the next 20 years, she worked many culinary jobs and had a great time doing it. She started baking and cooking at local restaurants, baked at Cottage Hospital, managed the SB Junior High School cafeteria, was Food Service Director at Pinecrest Hospital and ended her culinary career as pastry chef extraordinaire at the Fess Parker Red Lion inn and Casa Dorinda. After the kids grew up and moved out, Barbara and Paul continued their traveling adventures. Armed now with a series of successively larger RVs, they roamed far and wide from Mexico to Canada, and from California to The East. Barbara loved that Paul was always ready to take her on an adventure, and would always head them off looking for excitement, whether it was wine tasting in Napa, camping on the beach in Baja California or driving the RV down a treacherous mountain road barely large enough for full-size car, much less an RV. In addition to traveling, Barbara and Paul shared passions for playing golf and playing bridge. Those activities were a great way for them to share time together, and to meet many new friends that shared their interest. In 1984, Paul had a massive heart attack that would have killed him if Barbara hadn’t had a “feeling” to check on him. She walked in as he was turning blue and saved his life by quickly calling 911 and summoning the doctor across the street to apply CPR. During the next year, Barbara nursed Paul back to the best health he had been in for years. She helped him to lose 30 lbs. She exercised with him. She cooked him delicious healthy meals, and she helped him to quit smoking. Unfortunately, Paul took up smoking again in his 60s, and he passed away in 2003 after a prolonged battle against emphysema. Barbara had to learn how to do all the things that Paul had been doing for them for 48 years. Her natural curiosity and quick aptitude rapidly brought her up to speed on home maintenance, finances, etc. After Paul’s death, Barbara started traveling with a passion. Her only regret was that Paul couldn’t join her on these trips. She was a very active member of the Santa Barbara Friendship Force, a travel club, since 2002, including being club president in 2009 and 2010, and hosting travel groups from Japan, Russia, Turkey and other countries. She eventually visited all seven continents, all of the 50 United States, and 80 countries. She took her extended family of 19 children and grandchildren on cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean, Central America and the Panama Canal, and in 2012 to Ecuador and the Galapagos island. One of the last trips she planned was to take her daughters, granddaughters and daughter in law to Paris in 2015. In preparation for that trip, she scheduled her 2nd hip replacement so that she could enjoy walking around all the sights on the trip. Unfortunately, that replacement went badly and the hip became infected with MRSA. At Barbara’s insistence, the daughters continued on the trip without her while she recovered in the hospital. It’s a long story, but she apparently recovered from the infection in 2019 and enjoyed two healthy years, until two weeks before her death when the infection reoccurred again with a vengeance. All her family and friends truly enjoyed and loved Barbara and they will sadly miss her. A celebration of Barbara’s life will be held in late July, date TBD. Please contact Carla at carlamanchester21@gmail.com for more information.

Barbara Clare Gregoire

March 1, 1932 - May 26, 2021