Barbara Lee Brown (nee Stroh) age 94, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2025 leaving behind a legacy of grace, energy, and generosity.
 

Born during a snowstorm on March 5, 1931, on a farm just outside of Ft. Collins, Colorado, Barbara's life was full of adventure from the start.

A gifted performer, she won the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a school production at age eight with no prior dance experience. That moment led to a lifelong passion for dance, film, and theatre.
Barbara trained at Miss Dorothy's Academy in California and went on to perform across Southern California, even appearing in an Esther Williams film. By age 16, she was teaching at dance studios and at Colorado State University, performing at local venues and for the USO. She later owned her own dance studio in Ft. Collins.
Barbara shone brightly in high school, where she was voted "Most Talented" as a senior, and was actively involved in theatre, speech, sports, student leadership, and the school newspaper. She met her husband, Harry Brown, on a blind date. They married when she was 18 and he was 21, beginning a lifelong partnership marked by love and travel. Together they raised two children, Michael and Kathryn (Kathy), and lived in several states as well as around the world - Japan, Turkey and Korea - as part of Harry's military career. Barbara was proud of the entertaining she offered as
"The Colonel's Wife". 
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An active volunteer and community leader, Barbara was a Girl Scout leader, a Boy Scout fundraiser, and a Red Cross volunteer who earned the national Clara Barton award. She served as president of the Hui O' Wahine in Hawaii, a service club of military spouses. She earned her BA and taught middle school history and volunteered as a reading tutor for more than a decade with Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring.
In retirement, she remained involved in Green Valley, Arizona. She served on the board of the Shoestring Players Community Theatre, was president of the  Green Valley Country Club, and was named Chapter Person of the Year by the Military Officers' Association of America. Barbara taught
Sunday School and Bible School at the Green Valley Methodist Church, and was active on the church's scholarship committee for five years. Barbara supported numerous charities and lived her life guided by compassion, service, and having fun! She is survived by her son, Dr. Michael Brown
(Ann) of Solomons, MD; her daughter Kathryn Lummus (Roger); her brother Jerry Stroh of Ft. Collins; four grandchildren, and twelve great -grandchildren.

A celebration of Barbara's life will be held on May 24 at Keystone at Legacy Ridge in Westminster, Colorado at 4pm.