Barbara Reynolds Wiener

Barbara Reynolds Wiener was born December 4th, 1942 in Yonkers, New York.

Her first memory was of meeting her father upon his return from World War II’s Pacific Theater when she was three years old.

As a girl, Barbara built a motor boat with her dad and spent summers water skiing the Hudson River. She attended Charles E. Gorton High where she was head cheerleader and danced for the USO.

In 1958, while in high school, Barbara represented Westchester County at the National Science Fair in Kansas with her project utilizing transistors. In 1959, Barbara again qualified for the National Science Fair, this time in Indianapolis placing fourth with her experiment on penicillin-resistant bacteria.

An excellent student in all respects, Barbara received a scholarship to attend Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. While at Vassar, Barbara met Alan Wiener, her husband of sixty years.

After graduating from Vassar, Barbara married Alan and moved to Irvine. There, Barbara worked as a system engineer for IBM. During her time at IBM, Barbara became one of only four women to market the IBM 360 mainframe. She also led a successful movement within the company to secure equal pay for equal work for IBM’s female employees.

Barbara, subsequently, became active in the Junior League of Orange County, where she was president of the Junior League’s Christmas Company and developed the CORO program to train women to lead non-profit initiatives. She was also President of the Irvine Historical Society. Barbara’s enduring commitment to community service led her to run for Irvine City Council in 1982. She was elected and served until 1986. Among her other accomplishments during this dynamic period of Irvine’s history, Barbara became Mayor Pro Tem and led the successful campaign to preserve historic East Irvine.

Any attempt to account for Barbara’s extraordinary talents and the remarkable depth of her expertise across so many diverse disciplines would be futile. But her friends and family knew her to be…

A gourmet cook, wine producer, published author, investment guru, construction contractor and designer, draftsperson, F-18 simulator pilot, Girl Scout Leader, AYSO Soccer Commissioner and Leader of the 4-H Club. Barbara could sing, she could dance, she could play music, she could paint, she could draw, weave baskets, and sew like an elite seamstress. She threw the best theme party you’ve ever been to. And never, not once, did she back down from a challenge, ignore a person in need or let someone else solve a problem if she could fix it herself. She was about five feet tall and she was a titan.

For all her accomplishments and laurels, Barbara’s proudest achievement was raising two kids and passing on to them the values that gave her life meaning. Barbara’s greatest joy came from seeing her son and daughter marry wonderful people and become good spouses and parents themselves.

Barbara is survived by her husband Alan; her children, David and Jessica; her daughter-in-law, Melissa; her son-in-law, Brad; and her beloved grandsons, Leo and Max.

Her memory lives on in the hearts of her loving family and cherished friends.