Wilma M. Barrett

Madison - Wilma Mensing Barrett, a sweet, gentle, humor-loving soul, passed on Sunday, February 27, 2011. She was 89. She was born April 10, 1921, in Craig, Colorado, to William Mensing, a railroad engineer, and Flora Mensing, mother to Wilma and her three sisters Prudence, Margaret, and Roberta and her brother William. The family moved to Southern California in 1926. She graduated from North Hollywood High in 1938, and continued on to Los Angles City College for two years, finishing her B.A. at Santa Barbara State College in 1942. Then she received training to become a physical therapist at Camp Adair in Corvallis, OR. It was there she met and married Paul H. Barrett. After the war they moved East Lansing, MI where Paul received his PhD and became a professor at Michigan State University. It is where they raised their family. Summer vacations were spent traveling and camping which Wilma and Paul continued to do all their lives, most fondly in Colorado's Rocky Mountains where Wilma developed her love of wildflowers. They spent many summers in Cambridge, England with Paul doing original research on Charles Darwin and Wilma partnering with proofing transcripts. After Paul died in 1987, Wilma moved to Madison where she lived the last 20 years of life, 17 of them as a resident of Oakwood Retirement Village, where she thrived in that stimulating and caring community. She cared deeply about the environment, was an eclectic and avid reader, especially loving poetry, was a gifted knitter and loved singing hymns and making music in the Tone Chimes group. Wilma was always curious and always learning. She couldn't resist a Steep and Brew cappuccino or telling or hearing a good joke and she had a passion for walking, which she did in some form right to the end. Over the years she volunteered at St. Mary's Hospital in the reference library; in the Madison Schools; and at Oakwood, sharing her love of reading and knitting. Above all, Wilma was a loving and devoted mother and grandmother. She is survived by sons Paul H. Barrett, Jr., Denver, CO, and Thomas E. Barrett (Irene) of Misawa, Japan, and daughter Margaret Barrett Rathert (Loren) of Tucson AZ; six grandchildren; Susan Barrett, Christopher Rathert, Meredith Rathert (fiance, Eric Hartwig), Laura Barrett, Aliyah (Becky) R. Barrett, Margaret (Molly) Barrett. She is also survived by her sister Prudence Safady, CA, her brother William (Alice) Mensing, CA, brother-in-law Robert Barrett, TX , sister-in-law Catherine (Katie) Harner, MI and, as well as many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to thank her dedicated Dean Clinic G.N.P. and Dr's and the amazing staff at Tabor and Hebron, Oakwood Village West for surrounding Wilma to the end with love and skilled care. A celebration of her life will be held at the Oakwood West Chapel, 6205 Mineral Point Rd., in Madison on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to The Oakwood Foundation, Inc., 6201 Mineral Point Rd., Madison WI 53705 or The Nature Conservancy, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22203, or www.natureconservancy.org.