Barbara Jean Boerner

Born January 29, 1939, in Woodstock, Illinois, Barbara was the daughter of George and Margaret Hoch and the stepdaughter of Cassie Hoch. She grew up in Woodstock with her brother Jerome Hoch and stepbrother Ken Jensen. During her years at Woodstock High School, Barb sang in the choir, became Homecoming Queen, nurtured her love for horses, art, and music, and fell in love with David Boerner, son of Bert and Lela Boerner, also from Woodstock.

Barb and Dave married in 1960 and moved to Champaign, Illinois, where Dave attended law school at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. In 1961, they welcomed their daughter Judy, and two years later moved to Seattle, Washington. While living in West Seattle, they welcomed their first son, Daniel. Not long after, they moved to their longtime beloved home in Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood, where they welcomed their youngest son, Rich, and raised their three children together.

In 1982, they moved an hour south of Seattle to Enumclaw, WA, to realize their lifelong dream of owning a farm. For the next 30 years, Barb transformed the property into the cornerstone of their family’s lives. Here, Barbara launched her career as an award-winning Suffolk sheep breeder, and owner/operator of Pleasant Valley Suffolks. Barb was an accomplished gardener, chef, singer, seamstress, handywoman, and artist. “The farm” was the gathering spot for her beloved “Loud Family,” and she and Dave were never happier than when they gathered for family celebrations filled with amazing food, wine, music, and laughter in the most beautiful shadow of Mount Rainier.

In 2014, after 32 years, Barb and Dave said goodbye to the farm and moved to Bellevue, WA, where they lived in the Woodridge neighborhood before transitioning to Aegis Assisted Living on Mercer Island in 2023. At Aegis, Barbara shared a beautiful apartment with Dave, surrounded by their Native American art collection and a deck filled with live plants. In December of 2024, Barbara passed away unexpectedly from complications related to dementia, and her family remains forever grateful to her exceptional care team led by Petronella Sakala "Petty", who became her closest friend in her final years.

Barbara is survived by her husband, David Boerner, a retired Seattle University law professor; her daughter, Judy Boerner-Rule, and her husband, Michael Rule; and her sons, Daniel Boerner and his wife, June Wilson, and Richard Boerner and his wife, Colleen Boerner. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Matthew Rule, Ethan Boerner, Taliyah Boerner, Maia Marshall, Samuel Boerner, and Lela Boerner. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Jerome Hoch.

A Celebration of Life for Barbara is planned for Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Sunset Hills Memorial Park & Funeral Home in Bellevue, Washington.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, an organization Barbara supported as a longtime advocate for reproductive rights and sexual health care equity.