Barbara Jean Eckelmann

Barbara Jean (née Burda) Eckelmann died peacefully in Houston, Texas on July 12th2018. She is survived by her three children--Robert Laurence, Carol Jean (Marshall), Bryan Dean, their spouses, ten grandchildren and a great-granddaughter, whom she loved to spoil. Born to Lilli (Johnson) and Joseph Burda, Jr. in Chicago in 1929, she attended nearby Curtis Elementary and Fenger High School, then graduated in 1951 from Wheaton College.  Later that year, at Bethany Reformed Church in Chicago, she married Walter Robert Eckelmann, her husband of 57 years until his passing in September 2008.  Ever positive, generous, welcoming, and gracious, she loved her native Chicago area, the northwoods of Eagle River, Wisconsin, and her winter base in Rockport, Texas, where she was active in the First Presbyterian Church.   Her passions ranged from international travel to puzzles to (the largest possible) family gatherings.  All around her were touched, again and again, by her unwavering faith, tireless enthusiasm, and favorite stories.  She marked us all and will live on in our hearts, minds, and souls.