Barbara Helen Sears' Obituary
Barbara Helen Sears, 87, of San Leandro, passed away peacefully at Acadia Elder Care, Auburn on September 13th, 2014. Barbara was the youngest born by Joesph and Mary Liebgott of Oakland, CA – June 22, 1927. She was the last living of 5 siblings: Joesph, Elizabeth, Mary, Annie, and Steve. She graduated from Fremont High School, Oakland in 1945. During and after high school she worked at Montgomery Wards where she sketched models for ads and clothed the display window manikins.
Barbara married her high school love, Raymond Heiser of Mulford Gardens-San Leandro, a few years after WWII. They lived in San Leandro and raised two boys through adulthood. Barbara was a housewife and loving mother first but she did work as an office accountant for Deluxe Laundry in Oakland for a few years. She maintained life long friendships with her office co-workers and her childhood friends. As her boys were leaving the nest, she renewed her artistic talent and became a very talented oil painter.
Saint Peters Lutheran Church was her house of worship, where she was active with the Ladies Alter Guild. A few years after divorce she met her second husband at St. Peters, Bill Sears of Oakland. They lived together in San Leandro and spent many weekends traveling to Coloma, Fort Ross, and Calistoga. Holidays were in Santa Cruz and northern Baja. Vacations included cruises to Alaska and Mexico. She dodged 2 life threatening bullets. She was on a train which derailed. The engine and leading cars were hanging over a ravine but her cars remained on the track. On a very foggy day in the delta she drove across a T in the road and into the river. Her car was sinking and she could not open the doors or lower the windows. As the water was rising around her, she wrote “I love you” to her family on a piece of paper. An off duty CHP officer broke the rear window and was able to extract her.
Barbara is survived by her sons Jerry Heiser of San Leandro and Dan Heiser of Santa Cruz with his life partner Kathleen Richards. Barbara has many nieces and nephews and 2 sister-in-laws. She was loved by all and had 3 children of friends and relatives named after her. We can not recall her openly making negative statements about another person, even her husbands. She was a very special person.
Memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland and a luncheon at the Parish Hall of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in San Leandro. For details contact: [email protected]. Donations should be directed to St. Peter’s.
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