Barbara Jean Earl

She was born October 1, 1920, in New York City, New York, to Mary Chick Johnson and Harold Osborne Johnson.

Her elementary school years were spent in Hopewell, New Jersey, and she graduated from Pennington High School in 1938.

She attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she was a member of the Iota Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She met Richard "Dick" Earl when he sat on her typewriter case on a train full of students leaving Ithaca. She graduated in the class of 1942.

Due to wartime gas rationing, they were married the day after Christmas in 1942 while their friends and relatives were home for the holidays. Dick and Bobbie were married for 71 years.

Bobbie maintained households over the years in New Jersey and upstate New York, spending summers at their cabin in Canada, before moving to Florida in 1983. They belonged to the Venice Yacht Club and enjoyed cruises, fine dining and gourmet cooking together. Bobbie could often be found doing needlepoint, or reading a book propped up in the dish drainer while washing dishes. In recent years she was a resident of The Windsor of Venice, and Harbor Chase.

She is survived by daughters Marcia Glenwright of Nokomis, Fla., Nancy (Tom) Hoffarth of Venice, Fla., and son Richard "Rick" Earl Jr., of North Port, Fla.; and four grandchildren: Karen Glenwright, Kissimmee, Fla., Andrea Imholte, Verona, Wis., Brian Imholte, Crystal, Minn., and Gregory Imholte, Renton, Wash. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her brother, William E. Johnson.

Services: The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 4th at Kays-Ponger & Uselton Funeral Home, 1935 South Tamiami Trail, Venice, Fla. A celebration of life will follow at 6 p.m. at the funeral home.

Private interment will take place later in New Jersey. To leave the family your thoughts, memories and condolences on the online guestbook, visit Kays-Ponger.com.