Barbara Anne Sauerbrey

September 3, 1936 – January 20, 2022

Barbara was born to James and Wyoma Shea in St. Louis, MO, and grew up surrounded by her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Moving frequently due to her father’s job as a controller for Montgomery Ward, she lived in Chicago, Grand Rapids, Boise, St. Louis and other cities. They first moved to Seattle in 1951, where she was enrolled at Holy Names Academy (’54 valedictorian). She attended the University of Oregon, joining Delta Delta Delta sorority, and after transferring received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from the University of Washington.

Barbara established her own design firm, practicing until her retirement in 2002. She was a fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and served several terms as chapter president, national board member, regional vice president and national secretary. As part of ASID, she contributed to Seattle Design Showhouses and lectured at the Seattle Public Library.

After moving to Bellevue in 1966, she was active in PTA, Overlake Hospital Auxiliaries, Overlake Hospital Board and Somerset Women for Medic 1. She served as president of the Woodridge Community Association for 27 years, speaking frequently at city council meetings, organizing community events, writing newsletters and commissioning a sculpture for the neighborhood entrance.

She was a devoted mother to Steven Sauerbrey of Kent and Gayle St. George of Bellevue. Gayle brought into Barbara’s life three beautiful granddaughters, Jami, Jodi and Valerie, and she joyfully made all of them her main focus. She is survived by her son, granddaughters, son-in-law Nick and grandson-in-law Robert. She is preceded in death by her daughter (2020).

Barbara enjoyed gardening, playing bridge, sewing, crafting, reading, spoiling her pets, traveling abroad with friends and cooking and baking for special occasions. She was devoutly Catholic and was a congregant of St Madeleine Sophie in Bellevue. In addition to her interior design work, she was exceptionally artistic and handy, skilled in everything from painting to woodworking to large-scale renovations. Her home was the centerpiece of family tradition and gatherings, and her door was always open to loved ones, especially her children and granddaughters, who cherished their time with her. She could be counted on to help with a school project, make a Halloween costume, play a competitive game of Scrabble, decorate a personalized birthday cake, translate a Latin phrase, host a lively party or chat on the phone into the wee hours. As her daughter would have said, after they made Barbara they broke the mold.