Barbara Housman

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Barbara Housman, 75, a Great Kills resident, a talented soprano and a fixture in Staten Island theater for many years, died Wednesday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze.

A native of Great Kills, Mrs. Housman lived in West Brighton for 28 years, before returning to Great Kills in 1993.

She was a registered nurse at the former Richmond Memorial Hospital for many years, and then left to become a nurse and teacher's assistant at a school for disabled children, retiring in 2002.

A graduate of New Dorp High School, Mrs. Housman held a nursing degree from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.

She and her husband of 28 years, Frederick L. Housman, Jr., who died in 1993, were semi-professional actors, appearing at the Blackfriars Theater in Manhattan, among other community theaters on Staten Island for many years.

She sang soprano beautifully in the choir in her parish, St. Clare's R.C. Church, and in the vocal group at St. Alban's Church, both Great Kills. Singing opera and jazz also gave her great joy.

She is survived by her sister, Lynn Ball.

The funeral will be Saturday from the Casey-McCallum Rice South Shore Funeral Home, Great Kills, with a mass at 9:45 a.m. in the chapel of St. Clare's R.C. Church, both Great Kills. Burial will be private.