Barbara Ann Rose Kantscheidt

Barbara Ann Rose Kantscheidt (nee Hinkley) passed away last fall after a beautiful life that touched so many in small, but meaningful ways.

Born in New York City in 1938 to Irish immigrants George Patrick Hinkley and Roseann (nee Gallagher), Barbara’s story is that of 20th Century America.  The 7th of 8 children, her formative years were colored by the lingering effects of the Depression, a World War, and the passing of both of her parents by the time she was 12 years old. Raised by her siblings who were determined to keep their clan together, these experiences instilled in Barbara a keen sense of family, as well as an easy warmth and openness that would allow her to connect with myriad people throughout her journey.

 In 1956, she disregarded her eldest brother’s stern warning and attended a high school dance. There, she met and fell in love with Richard Arthur Kantscheidt.  Barbara literally never went home after the dance, married Richard shortly thereafter, and shared 40 years of life with him before his passing in 1995.

In the 60’s Barbara lived “Mad Men” in real life as a secretary on Wall Street, and then became a full-time Mom. In the 70’s she co-owned a bungalow colony in the Catskills (Maplewood Gardens) and took her 6-year-old son to watch John Travolta film “Saturday Night Fever,” just a few blocks away from their apartment in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.  In the 80’s and 90’s, she returned to Manhattan (this time with shoulder pads, naturally) for a tenure at environmental consulting firm AT Kearney, a time she described as her most rewarding professional experience. However, this would soon be surpassed by retirement, her full-time role as Grandma, and a move to Water’s Edge in Saratoga Springs. In the final analysis, Barbara shared that she viewed these as the best years of her life. 

Through it all, Barbara’s ability to connect with people – from the random cashier at JCPenney’s to the closest of neighbors – led to a host of remarkable experiences.  Perhaps most notably, she once ran into a woman in Hamilton, Scotland who it turned out owned the house that her grandparents lived in for a time when Barbara’s mother was born.  A short chat later and three generations of her family were standing in this very living room.  Another memory was made.

Barbara’s spirit lives on in those that brought her everlasting joy and to whom she gave so much of herself – her son Steven, daughter-in-law Stephanie, and grandchildren Kerry Rose and Brendan Richard, all of Saratoga Springs, as well as her brother Eddie Hinkley of Brooklyn, and sister-in-law Mary Kent of South Carolina.  

Barbara was predeceased by her husband Richard, his brother Robert, and her own siblings Alfred, George, John, Leo, Mary, and Joan, all of whom lived to a ripe old age and filled countless photo albums together over the decades.

In lieu of services and donations, Barbara hoped that friends and family would simply raise a glass and smile a little smile.