Barbara Grehan Curtin

Barbara Grehan Curtin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1934 to Jeanette (Lucchesi) and John (Jack) Grehan, Jr. She is survived by her sister, Pat, and predeceased by her brother, Johnny. Barbara was called to march forth into eternal life on March fourth, 2025, just three weeks after her beloved husband, Gary. She died peacefully, surrounded by family.

Barbara grew up primarily in Memphis (with a brief, though fondly remembered, stint in South Carolina) with a host of cousins, aunts, and uncles. After graduating from St. Agnes Academy, Barbara entered the Dominican order and continued her studies, earning a degree in English from Siena College. She mastered Spanish by spending a summer immersed in intensive Spanish and living with a family in Mexico. During her 17 years with the Dominicans, she taught every grade except fifth, and, at the high school level, taught English and Spanish.

Discerning that God was calling her to a new mode of service, Barbara left the Dominicans in 1970, bought a VW bug, and moved to Denver, Colorado, where she worked at a juvenile detention center and a department store. While attending a charismatic prayer group at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, she met a handsome, recently widowed father of two children. Barbara married Gary Curtin in July of 1973 and, with an artful blend of love, graciousness, and discipline, helped the family heal and rebuild. She was an awesome mother and devoted wife. After the family moved to Northern Virginia in 1980, Barbara picked up interesting part-time jobs ranging from running the front office of a chiropractor to doing administrative work for an intelligence contractor. She will be remembered for her easy laugh and love of gardening, cooking, and volunteering for a variety of causes.

Barbara may never have been the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or won a Nobel prize, but she was a giant among us in the realm that really matters… she humbly loved God, prayed unceasingly, and embodied wisdom. In recent years, though she suffered diminished cognitive capabilities from dementia, her capacity to engage people with overwhelming joy grew exponentially. Her insightful affirmations left all she encountered – family, friends, and strangers – with a smile on their faces. She went out like a supernova, a fiery ball of love.

She will be heartily missed by her children, Molly (Roland) and Mike (Jess), seven grandchildren, Kathleen, Robert, Marie-Odette, Emmy, Charles, Laure, and Michael, and a passel of cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, Virginia on Friday, April 11th at 2 pm, followed by inurnment in the columbarium on site. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to join in the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year practice of forgiving debts, material and non-material.