Barbara Byler Saum passed away on July 18 in Hollister, following several months of illness. A model of compassion, strength, and elegance, Barbara never wavered from the conviction that, for her, working to raise her family was the most important of her life’s tasks and by far her favorite.
Barbara Elaine Byler was born in September 1939 in Ann Arbor, Mich., to Henry Byler and Helen Rockwell Byler. She grew up in Wilmette, Ill., and attended public schools before completing a bachelor of music education at Northwestern University. It was at Northwestern that she met her future husband, Boyd Thomas Saum, of Kearney, Nebr., and the couple were wed in 1965.
Following graduate study at Northwestern and the New England Conservatory of Music, Barbara taught music at public and private schools in California and Illinois for several years. She remained a lifelong advocate for arts in education, recognizing how they uniquely fostered different kinds of intelligence in children. She also embarked on a quarter-century career as a church soloist, performing in particular at Christian Science churches in the Chicago area, before beginning a career in real estate. She supported the community through work in local governance in North Barrington, Ill., where she and Boyd raised their five children with the belief that each of their offspring should nurture the talents and interests that mattered most to them-whether it be teaching, writing, illustration, architecture, or music.
Boyd died in 1993 following a stroke, having served nearly 30 years as a high school mathematics teacher and administrator. With her children grown, Barbara moved to California several years later and began a new chapter of her life in Hollister, where she enjoyed being close to extended family, reveled in the abundance of fresh foods available for cooking, and cultivated a garden filled with scores of rose bushes and a pair of bountiful apricot trees. She continued to work in real estate and once again made time for singing, performing as contralto soloist with the Oriana Chorale and singing with the San Jose Symphonic Choir. She enjoyed singing Handel’s “Messiah” in particular, and performing at Mission San Juan Bautista, San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, and singing Mozart’s “Requiem in D” at Carnegie Hall.
Long a proponent of educational opportunities for women, she participated actively in local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution and P.E.O. Along with valuing her grace and kindness, friends and family alike had a special appreciation for her cooking-especially her pies; her pecan and key lime were the stuff of legend.
At 60 years of age Barbara took on downhill skiing for the fist time, and she acquired a passport so that she could travel to the Czech Republic to ring in the new millennium with two of her children. Her singing subsequently took her back to Europe, for performances in Russia and Scandinavia. One of her favorite pastimes was playing the heirloom parlor grand piano in her living room.
This January, she and her family were devastated by the untimely death of her 37-year-old daughter, Catherine. During Barbara’s own illness this year, she was grateful for the support family provided, and she was absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness shown by neighbors and friends. She died peacefully on July 18 at Hazel Hawkins Hospital, surrounded by family.
Several years ago she was asked if she had it do over again and could pursue any career, what would she choose? Mother and homemaker, she said, without hesitation.
She is survived by her daughters Elisabeth Schwartz and Jennifer Lynn Saum; sons Steven and Edward; four grandchildren; and a 13-year-old cat, Julius Caesar Salad. She also leaves behind a perfumed legacy of roses and loved ones who will grieve for her loss.
A celebration of her life will take place at First Presbyterian Church in Hollister on Monday, Aug. 20 at 10 A.M. Her ashes will be interred alongside her husband’s and daughter’s in Illinois.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in her name to the P.E.O. / Ch. WX, CA Dreams the Future scholarship fund, c/o P.E.O Foundation, P.E.O. Executive Office, 3700 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312.
