Barbara Ruth Judson McLean

Barbara was raised in Wethersfield, Connecticut, a historic New England village founded in 1633 just outside Hartford. It was there that she acquired her strong New England values that served her well for the rest of her life including hard work, thrift, good manners, proper etiquette and an unpretentious lifestyle. She was also a fun-loving person who often became the life of any party she attended.

Barbara graduated from Central Connecticut University in 1961 with a BA in Education and taught first grade before moving to Washington DC. After raising her family, she returned to school and earned a master's degree in library science from DC University in 1986. She then worked for ten years as a children's librarian in the DC system, mostly in its southeast branch. She helped introduce a generation of children to literature through her passionate storytelling, often accompanied by simple guitar pieces. She was well known to the neighborhood children as "Miss Barbara."

After retiring from her library work, she served for several years as a volunteer with Northern Virginia Literacy Council, now known as The English Empowerment Center, where she taught English to immigrants.

Besides teaching, her favorite activities included reading, cooking, gardening, and sewing. If there is one quality that best defines her it was her ability to inspire love in all who knew her well.

She is survived by her husband, Ken McLean, their son Brendan McLean, two children from a previous marriage, Elizabeth Delmar and Judson Berry, three step children, Janis McLean, Cathryn Shipley, and Jeffrey McLean, seven grandchildren, four step-children and a brother, Richard Judson.

A memorial service will be held on September 16th at 11:00 A.M. with burial to follow at Columbia Gardens Cemetery located at 3411 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to The English Empowerment Center.