Barbara Toner

Barbara M Toner was born in Bavaria Germany on January 7th, 1944, to Richard and Tutti Kessler. Due to the ongoing war, pregnant women were sent to Bavaria for their safety. When Richard returned at the end of the war, they setup their home in Ladenburg where Barb was raised with her sisters Inge and Ingrid. Barb, at three or four years old, learned English by listening to the American radio broadcast. This gave her the ability to talk to the occupying GIs in the way toddlers strike up a conversation with strangers walking down the street. The Americans often being reminded of their little sisters or daughters back home would frequently give her chocolate. These treats proved to be of great value to the family due to the heavy rations faced by the Germans. She would come home with a wagon full of food she got from the black market. This might explain her fondness for chocolate, the United States and for language. She learned to speak five languages, rarely ever turned down chocolate, and became a US citizen.

As she grew, she became a talented knitter and a master quilter. She would spend hours designing patterns and planning the stitching for her quilts. Using her intricate needle work to produce art. Gifts of quilts, socks and hats were not uncommon. Her study of both crafts is evident by the number of books, swatches, yarns, and thread still around after multiple moves. At least one room of the house was dedicated to housing her supplies.

In her life she went back and forth between the United States and Germany several times. She gave birth to her eldest daughter, Claudia on June 27th, 1967, in New Jersey. On June 9th, 1969, she became a US citizen, something she was very proud of. She then gave birth to her daughter Cynthia (Cindy) in Heidelberg Germany on February 27th, 1971. She married the love of her life, Jim Toner, in Basil Switzerland on November 3rd, 1987. Starting out in Germany, they moved to the US in 1996. Living in California, Nevada, Michigan, Florida, and Oregon. They cultivated old friendships like those with Glenda and Wolf as well as making new friends along the way like Andrew and Renate. After Jim’s passing, it was these friends that were there to support Barb while she and Cindy worked out the logistics of another cross country move. Special thanks to Wolf and Renate for all you have done.

Barb was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Tutti, sister, Inge, daughter Claudia, and husband, Jim. She is survived by her sister, Ingrid, daughter Cindy (Bob) Kelley, son (in-law) David Rice, grandchildren Michelle, David, Jacob, and Anja, and great grandchildren Maximus, Maverick, Alex, and coming soon Sophia. Not to be forgotten is Jim’s cat Zimba. Who has now settled into the Kelley household.

What the grandchildren and great grandchildren will miss out on is a talented artist who mixed in a quick wit with German directness and stubbornness. She did not lose an argument very often. A fiercely proud American. She believed voting and expressing your beliefs was an important part of being an American. She had no problem sharing her liberal beliefs with others. She was a fascinating storyteller who lived through a unique time in history. Conversations with Barb were often learning experiences.

Barbara will be buried at the National cemetery in Bakersfield California on April 21, 2023 at 1:15pm, with her beloved husband, Jim, who passed away in 2021 and daughter, Claudia who passed away of breast cancer in 2020. She left this earth looking forward to seeing them again.