Beryl Barr Obituary

Beryl L. Barr

January 8, 1940 - June 3, 2025

Boise, Idaho - Beryl L. Barr died recently from complications after a long-term illness, she was 85.

Beryl always followed her mother's advice and tried to be "nice to everybody". She brightened up the world around her with her engaging personality and her brilliant smile. Growing up in Texas, she was always a recognized leader. In Junior High, she was awarded the DAR Medal of Excellence, played in the school band and was also elected the President of the Student Body. In high school she was a student leader, and honor student and an elected cheerleader. She returned to college in her 30s and completed her college degree at Indiana University and her master's degree from the IU Graduate School of Library Science. She worked as a school librarian at Dyer Middle School in Bloomington, Indiana and at the Sunrise Elementary School in Albany, Oregon. She retired in 2005 from the Idaho State Library where she worked as a reference librarian and provided reference support to state legislators. After retiring, she served as a consultant to the Idaho Department of Corrections where she worked at the state's minimum security prison helping their library gain national accreditation

Beryl was a strong, forceful feminist: one of the first to subscribe to Ms. Magazine; started the first women's support group in Bloomington, Indiana; marched in protest movements in the nation's capital on several occasions, and in marches and protest in Indiana, Oregon and Idaho. She worked to improve women's support and services at the university level. Her personal collection of "feminist art" was donated to the Women's Center at Boise State University. She and her husband have created a female doctoral scholarship in the BSU College of Education. Always a professional person with her own career, when her husband was offered the job as Dean at Oregon State University, she insisted that he tell the President that he was hiring a Dean, he was not hiring a Dean's wife.

Beryl and Robert have two grown kids and a family full of feminists. Both of their kids have earned doctoral degrees. Bonny has had a distinguished career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and university professor. Brady Barr served for years as the resident herpetologist at National Geographic and for 18 years hosted two of his own TV Shows on the Nat Geo/Wild Channels: Reptile Wild and Dangerous Encounters with Dr. Brady Barr. He is also an award-winning children's author. The Barrs have four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Beryl's life spanned a great arc of experience: She grew up in the years of racist segregation in Texas, and lived through the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, and the technological revolution. She dreamed of a better world, and she worked to make the world a better place.

To contact the family, please email Bob at [email protected]