Barbara Ellen Stoerman Harper

Barbara Ellen Stoerman Harper, 77, passed away on April 29, 2012, at South Bay Hospital in Sun City Center, Florida. She was born on December 21, 1934, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Martin John Stoerman and Irene Bossert Stoerman. Barbara grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She attended Southeast High School and Bishop Lillis High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Barbara married Donald E. Harper in 1953 in Kansas City, Missouri. They were happily married and devoted to each other for 59 years. Barbara was a wonderful and loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and homemaker. Barbara and Donald raised their family in Overland Park, Kansas, before being transferred to Freehold, New Jersey, in 1975, then to Naperville, Illinois, where they owned Harper’s Hallmark store for almost 10 years. They retired to New Port Richey, Florida, in 1994. Barbara was an excellent seamstress and greatly enjoyed sewing everything from dolls and doll clothes to draperies and her daughters’ wedding dresses. She was always very thoughtful and generous and had a wonderful sense of humor. Barbara made the best fried chicken in the world. She and her beautiful smile will be greatly missed but never forgotten. Barbara was predeceased by her parents, Martin John Stoerman and Irene Bossert Stoerman, and one brother, Ivan (Butch) Stoerman. Barbara is survived by her loving husband, Donald, of Sun City Center, Florida, her daughters, Anne Shotick (George) of Peoria, Illinois; and Karen Holovinsky (Bohdan) of Spotswood, New Jersey; her sons Michael Harper (Robert Sblendorio) of Rancho Mirage, California; and David Harper (Sally) of Myakka City, Florida; her brothers Anton Jerome Stoermann of Helendale, California; Richard Stoermann (Joann) of Prairie Village, Kansas; Stanley Stoermann (Judy) of Carlsbad, California; her sister, Laura Stoerman Heinlein of Overland Park, Kansas; her grandchildren Sam Shotick (April) of Medina, Ohio; Emily Shotick of Indianapolis, Indiana; Claire Shotick of Peoria, Illinois; Catherine Shotick of Amherst, Massachusetts; Sarah Holovinsky of Spotswood, New Jersey; Kathleen Harper of Rancho Mirage, California; and many nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held at Mt. Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, May 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., followed by a memorial service from 11:00 a.m. to Noon. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 1111 W. 22nd Street, #620, Oakbrook, Illinois 60523, www.woundedwarriorproject.org, or The Salvation Army, 3637 Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri 64111, www.salvationarmyusa.org. Condolences may be left on Barbara Harper’s online guest book at www.mtmoriah-freeman.com.