Lydia Barrett

Lydia Konshin Barrett was born on September 6, 1922 in Yokohama, Japan. At age 3 months, her family moved to present day Dalian, Manchuria, China where Lydia grew up to age 9. Her father passed away at early age of 35 and, because of strong asthma, Lydia was sent to boarding school in Harbin, China. It was a full day train ride to visit her Mother in Dalian so her visits happened for a 2 month summer break. Lydia completed her education but studied for another year achieving a first year of college. Political and economic upheavals happened in China around World War II times and Lydia and her Family were forced to move out of their home and accept a small residence as a substitute. Their family home became a military barracks for Soviet Russian Troops. So, the family transitioned from White (non-Communist) Russian Expatriots to Refugees. Lydia found work as a secretary being able to type without errors in Russian, English, French and numerical documents shipping papers, etc. She worked for a year supporting her elderly Grandmother who refused to travel, died of a terminal illness and was buried next to her husband. This event made possible a departure from Dalien to Hong Kong with final destination of Germany, where her Mother, sister and brother had preceded her. Lydia competed for and won a job working for the Base Chaplin on Ramstein AFB in Germany. For awhile, Lydia taught Russian language to a class of service men, one of whom was Joseph E. Barrett. Encouraged by the Chaplin and a friendly anthropologist, Joe proposed marriage and thus began 50 years of happy marriage for Lydia Barrett. After Joe passed, Lydia lived another 10 years happily, with son Michael in the home. If not for Parkinson's Disease, which she had for a year before diagnosis and a year with it, who knows how long Lydia might have lived? She is survived by sons Joseph and Michael and daughter Olga, daughter-in-law Donna and her only grandchild Joseph Edward Barrett. In addition, her sister Monica Kaiser and brother Bernhard Lindenberg are living in Germany. Lydia Barrett was a well rounded woman of many interests and talents. She painted, sewed, crochet'd, knitted, cooked from scratch and baked wonderful meals and cakes. She was a stay-at-home full time wife and mother. For several years, Lydia showed some paintings with the River Art Show. She also sold many of her paintings to neighbors who asked for specific elements, like bluebonnets, a cactus, a roadrunner, etc. All in all, Lydia Barrett is a well-rounded Renaissance woman. Her family believes that she is now at Peace. God Bless Lydia Barrett. Memorial Service to be held at 2:00 Friday November 18, 2016 at Colonial Funeral Home, 625 Kitty Hawk Road, Universal City Texas.