Barbara Bryan Leyendecker

Barbara was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 27, 1936, the only child of Jo Claire Bryan and France Rohrer Bryan. She took her first art lesson at age 4, in Santa Fe, under Alfred Morang. Art would become a life-long passion for Barbara. In the 1950s, her family moved to Albuquerque where she acquired an appreciation of Native American and Hispanic cultures, which impacted her values and approach to art. She attended the University of New Mexico for two years and graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a B. A. in Fine Arts in 1960. In 1972, she completed a M. A. degree in Drawing and Print Making from the University of Northern Colorado.

On January 25, 1963, she married the love of her life, Liston Edgington Leyendecker. A daughter, Lucy Bryan, was born in 1968. In 1970, they adopted a child, Jessica.

Barbara worked as an art teacher for the Denver Public Schools, and as an art instructor at both Front Range Community College and Colorado State University. She mentored many fine artists. Barbara also enjoyed working for the Art Institute of Chicago, evaluating portfolios of prospective students. She lectured on a wide variety of subjects and her work was exhibited in Colorado and throughout the United States.

A very talented, multifaceted artist, Barbara worked in painting (all mediums), printmaking, drawing, collages, sculpture, book design, and jewelry. She was uniquely perceptive, seeing art in everyday locales and architecture. If you had the good fortune to attend an art exhibit with her, she would begin to explain the nuances of the works and soon, a gaggle of other attendees would be following her around, fascinated by what she had to say.

Barbara loved traveling and nowhere more than Georgetown, Colorado, where in the 1990s she and Liston bought a mountain home. Georgetown was a special place where they established many enduring friendships.

Barbara was also a very fun-loving, playful person, blessed with a great sense of humor. She was a kind, loyal friend who hosted great parties. Her Christmas eve table, like everything else in her life, was a work of art. She also had an uncanny ability to strike up a conversation with anyone. Barbara Leyendecker will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

Barbara is survived by many friends; her daughter, Jessica Winter (Troy); and her grandchildren, Cory and Emmalee. She was preceded in death by her husband, Liston; late-in-life companion, John Pratt; and her daughter Lucy.

A Memorial Service will be held at Allnutt Drake Chapel, 650 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins, on Friday, August 27, 2021 at 3:00pm, with a reception immediately following. For your safety, we strongly encourage wearing a mask during the service and social distancing during the reception. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Historic Georgetown, PO Box 667, Georgetown CO 80444; or the Scholarship Fund at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Office of Advancement, 116 S. Michigan Avenue, 5th floor, Chicago IL 60603. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.allnuttftcollins.com.