May 1, 1940 ~ February 19, 2023
Barbara Elizabeth (Schmidt) Loescher, 82, passed away Sunday, February 19, 2023, at John Knox Village, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, after courageously battling primary progressive aphasia for 14 years.
Barb was born May 1, 1940 in Lynbrook, New York. She met Chuck Loescher in college at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Barb graduated from RIT in 1961 with a degree in medical technology. They were married in Lynbrook on August 19, 1961, and moved to the Kansas City area the next day. They had two children, Craig Loescher and Debbie Loescher Feekin.
Barb volunteered at the Episcopal church they attended, the Ronald McDonald House, and delivered meals on wheels. She was a member of the PEO GZ chapter at Overland Park and the NG chapter at Lee’s Summit. She loved walking and was famous for wearing her blue bucket hat. She has created many fond memories with her family and friends at their home at the Lake of the Ozarks. She and Chuck enjoyed traveling together. They have traveled all over the world, from Ireland to Tasmania. They often bought jigsaw puzzles from places they were on holiday which she enjoyed completing with her family and her assistants at the JKV. On the walls of their lake house, many of the puzzles lay framed.
Barb was preceded in death by her parents, William and Margaret Schmidt, her brothers Frank Kehr, Charles Schmidt and Robert Schmidt, and in-laws, Charles and Georgia Loescher.
Barb was incredibly loving and thoughtful. She is survived by husband Chuck Loescher, sister-in-law Lou Loescher Junge, brother-in-law David Loescher, son Craig Loescher (Allison), daughter Debbie Loescher Feekin (Tom), and five grandchildren Lauren Feekin, Ashley Loescher, Krystal Feekin, Emory Loescher and Tyler Loescher .
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at the John Knox Village Courtyard Community Center, 518 NW Murray Road, Lee’s Summit, MO, 64081. The service will begin at 2:00 pm followed by visiting family with guests. Barb’s family would like to thank JKV Hospice and the staff at JKV and Care Center for the constant love and care they have given to Barb. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making memorial donations to Northwestern University to continue research into primary progressive aphasia (PPA Research Fund).
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