Lasting Memories

Susan Barr
July 15, 1934-July 18, 2016
Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia

Susan Sommerich Barr passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 18,2016, after her long struggle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). She was 82. Susan was predeceased by her brother, David Sommerich (2001) and her son, Michael Abbott (2007).

Susan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, attended University City High School, became a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority and received her degree in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 1956. After college, Susan worked for a brief time as a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines (TWA) until her marriage in 1957 when she moved to Menlo Park.

Susan spent the next 26 years in West Menlo Park, Ladera and Sharon Heights raising her three sons and volunteering at the Allied Arts Guild. In 1983 she moved to Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia where she married John Barr.

Throughout the next 33 years of her life, Susan and John enjoyed visiting with the growing family, doting on the increasing number of grandchildren and traveling the world by land, sea and air.

During their travels, Susan enjoyed visiting her old friends in the U.S., meeting new people and seeing new places. She also found the motivation to complete an extensive amount of research and documentation of her centuries old family tree, for which we are grateful.

Susan leaves behind her husband, John Barr, his children, Rosie, Jennifer and Peter Barr, his six grandchildren, her sons Jim Abbott (Kelly) and Tom Abbott (Jennifer) plus her six grandchildren Christopher, Kevin, Karlee, Kyle, Ryan and Christine Abbott, four great grandchildren and many longtime friends around the world.