Elisabeth U. Barstad

Elisabeth U. Barstad, 88, of Athens, Ohio, died Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Athens.  Born March 8, 1935, in Modosch (Banat), Yugoslavia (formerly Austria-Hungary), she was preceded in death by her parents, Mathias and Maria Hochban Uhl, her sister Edith Wolfe, and a grandson, Erik Thorburn.

She is survived by her husband Noel (O.U. Professor emeritus), two daughters, Ricarda Sammaneh and Andrea Barstad Thorburn, and five grandchildren:  Ryan and Lindsay Ellingson, and Tristam, Cecilia, and Stefan Thorburn.

With her family, Elisabeth miraculously survived the dislocations and firestorms of WWII and the starvation and deprivations that followed.  Expropriated in their homeland and endangered if they returned, they remained in Germany, where they also had relatives, emigrating to the U. S. in 1955 and becoming American citizens.

Having passed her State licensing examinations in Retail Merchandising "with distinction" in Germany, Elisabeth completed her education in the U.S. with an Associate of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota (where she met her future husband, then a graduate student.)

Personable and outgoing, Elisabeth made and maintained many friendships, some dating back to the postwar years, by corresponding and visiting both here and in Europe.  She loved children and was a devoted mother and beloved grandmother.  Her love of beauty in all forms (including flowers), was a gift she delighted in sharing with others; her extensive flower bed on Columbia Ave. was only one example; her poetry (in two languages) another.

Elisabeth was a member of the Germania Society in Columbus, and the Athens Garden Club, the O. U. Women's Club, and Athens Friends and Newcomers (AFAN), a parishioner of St. Paul Catholic Church in Athens, and a member of the St. Francis Society.

She endured much suffering in this life and bore it with the assurance of the life to come.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
 For the understanding shown, the care given, the kindness demonstrated, and the final arrangements made, the family wishes to thank the many friends, the Ohio Health Hospice team, the Kimes Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the Hughes-Moquin Funeral Home, and the Rev. Father Mark Moore.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, June 27 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul Church.
A private interment later will be at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Athens. Please feel welcomed to sign the online guestbook or leave a message of sympathy at www.hughesmoquinfuneralhome.com.