Barbara Jean Banach Thorpe

She was born Barbara Banach in St. Paul, Minnesota at the height of the Great Depression in 1930. She attended the University of Minnesota before moving to San Francisco in 1953.

Barbara met her husband Roy Thorpe, a research chemist at Shell Oil, at a dance in 1954. Three months later they were married, and soon thereafter raised children Janice, Jonathan, Peter, Daniel and Mark. She also helped raise Gary, Roy’s son from a previous marriage.

Barbara and Roy were married for 50 years until his death in 2005. They lived the first years of their marriage in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the family’s cherished property (simply called “The Ranch”) in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

In 1972, Barbara and Roy moved to their family farm outside Salem where she lived for 40 years. There they raised sheep, cherries and evergreen trees. In 2008, Barbara became a resident of the Willamette Lutheran Home in Keizer where she enjoyed the companionship of many friends. She was active at St. Mark Lutheran Church, where she sang in the choir and served in many church leadership roles.

Throughout her life, Barbara had a spirit for adventure and travel. She took many international trips, including travels to Mexico, Scandinavia, Russia, England, Germany, Austria and Romania, as well as many places across the United States. She loved her Swedish heritage and made two trips there. She also visited her husband’s ancestral home in Cornwall, England, on two occasions.

Barbara had a natural gift for storytelling. She was the source of many family tales, which she told with a unique enthusiasm and humor.

Barbara is survived by her sister Nancy, her sister-in-law Jeanne, and her children Janice, Jonathan, Peter, Daniel and Mark, as well as stepson Gary. She is also survived by her loving daughters-in-law Judy, Sima and Marlyn, as well as grandchildren Roy, Thomas, Sam, Eric, Alia, Alicia and Jonathan.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 5th, 2016, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Salem, OR, beginning at 11am. Please send all flowers and condolences to St. Mark's Church. Questions and concerns may be directed to Howell Edwards Doerksen Funeral Home at (503) 581-3911.