Barbara Ann Sasso

Barbara Ann Sasso (nee Kircher), 71, entered into Heaven to be with her Lord on April 24th, 2018. Barbara was the beloved daughter and the eldest of five children of the late George and Claudine Kircher of West Bend, Wisc. Barbara learned from her mother, who was adopted, the importance of parents, siblings, extended family and her Catholic family. She inherited her self-deprecating humor from her father, who would load her into the passenger seat of his beer delivery truck and drive the 40 miles to her studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee. It was there that her future husband of 50 years, Daniel, spotted her at an A&W restaurant, and their love blossomed in chorus and over midterm exams. Barbara went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in speech therapy and a master’s degree in learning disabilities and dedicated her four-decade career to improving the lives of disadvantaged and developmentally-delayed schoolchildren. Barbara and Daniel gave birth to four adoring children, Craig, Michael, Tony and Angela, and eventually relocated from Wisconsin to Cape Coral, Fla., in 1976.

Although she long was plagued with worry inwardly, outwardly Barbara was a source of strength and comfort for her husband, children, family and hundreds of friends. Over decades, she devoted her spare time to ministries at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Cape Coral and organized parish picnics, concerts and prayer groups. She spent countless hours crocheting prayer blankets for people in need of comfort and support during difficult times in their lives. Barbara often seemed to have a direct line to her Lord, Jesus Christ, where others’ lines zigged and zagged, and it was this devotion that helped her survive a large, benign brain tumor 11 years ago. Even in her final days Barbara sought to comfort loved ones with humor, joking that the rare malignant tumor that eventually surfaced on her adrenal gland was ``one in 12 million.’’

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents George in February 1998 and Claudine in July 2014, and by her uncle, Carl Kircher, in July 2016. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Daniel; her four children, Craig (Sylvia), Michael (Marie), Tony (Kelley) and Angela Leckie (David); and eight grandchildren, Sophia, Andrew, Cristian, Veronica, Charlie, Danielle, Ava and Alec.

She also is survived by four siblings: Tom Kircher (Cecelia), Mary Elizabeth Harkness (Daniel, deceased), Robert, and Mark (Karen); an aunt, Mrs. Noreen Kircher of West Bend; as well as a mother-in-law, Mrs. Elvira Sasso (Anthony, deceased) of Cape Coral; sister-in-law, Mrs. Geraldine Rabin (Mike); and nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 pm on Thursday May 3rd at Coral Ridge Funeral Home, 1630 SW Pine Island Rd., Cape Coral, FL 33991. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Friday May 4th at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 2628 Del Prado Blvd S., Cape Coral, FL 33904 with the Burial and Rite of Committal to follow at Coral Ridge Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, you may consider donating to St. Vincent De Paul at St. Andrew Conference, 2628 Del Prado Blvd. S, Cape Coral, FL 33904.