Barbara Ann Smithson

Barbara (Barb) was born in 1935 and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an only child. Her father, Joseph McLaren, from Marion, Illinois, was the son of Archibald B. McLaren and Emily Peters, immigrants from Dunfermline, Scotland. Her mother, Marion Fiedler, was the daughter of Joseph and Clara (Schillen) Fiedler of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Marion had three siblings, Marjorie, Jean and Joe Fiedler.

As a small child, Barb spent much of her time with her best friend Gracie Gearhard. With the guidance of Gracie’s family she learned how to ice skate on a frozen lake by pushing a little red wooden chair in front of her. Her son Christopher has this same little child’s chair today and has restored it, painting it a bright red.

Tragically, Barbara’s father Joe died unexpectedly of pneumonia when Barbara was three years old. Joe owned a tire shop in Milwaukee, and Marion took over the operation of the business, becoming the first woman president and supervising an all-male staff.

When Barbara was about ten years old, parents were advised to send their children away to school to avoid a polio epidemic in the area. She was sent to Convent of the Sacred Heart Academy—a boarding school in Lake Forest, Illinois, where she lived during several school years until she was of high school age.

Barbara went to high school at the Milwaukee University School. Unlike others in her social circle, she did not wish to be formally presented as a debutante. Her high school senior party with “dinner and dancing” was held December 30, 1952 at the University Club in Milwaukee, a gift of her mother and aunt. Her long-time childhood friends Gracie Gerhard and Pat Powell attended.

Barb went to Middlebury College in Vermont (1953-1957) and majored in French. She lived in the French-speaking Chateau residence on campus and went ice skating in her free time, and appeared in several ice shows. In the summer she assisted in her aunt Marjorie’s interior design studio (Gilman Studios in Milwaukee).

After college she lived in New York City and worked at the French Embassy as an administrative assistant. She lived close by, near 70th and Park Avenue, at the Studio Club, essentially a YWCA for single, unmarried working girls. She had a roommate and went down to join the house group for meals.

Through the recommendation of her cousin George Fiedler and his wife Agnes, Barb met Peter Amberg in 1958. (Agnes Fiedler was Peter’s aunt). They went on a few dates before Barb informed him that she was leaving New York and moving back to Milwaukee. But the following Christmas, they reconnected at a party in Chicago and commenced dating when Barb returned to Manhatten to accept a position with the United Nations.

Around this time, Barb rented her first studio apartment on the Upper East Side (on Central Park) for approx. $150/month. It did not have a full kitchen—she did her dishes in the bathtub! Barb and Peter married in 1959 in New York City and moved to an apartment in Flushing, NY where they had their first child, Ann in 1961.

Peter, a sales rep for the family business Amberg File & Index Company, moved to Kankakee, Illinois in 1962 with Barb and their baby daughter. He worked with his father and uncles in the family business in Kankakee, walking to work each day and coming home for lunch.

Barb and her husband enjoyed life in the social circles of Kankakee and belonged to the Kankakee Country Club. Barb coordinated a local French Club where she could speak French. Both Barb and Peter enjoyed cooking; they were avid followers of the New York Times Cookbook and Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking. They traveled often to Chicago and Milwaukee for holidays with relatives. They welcomed their second child, Christopher, in 1964.

Barb moved with her husband and children to Omaha, NE in 1968 when Amberg File & Index Co. was sold to another corporation (Peter’s father retired due to health issues). Peter found work in Omaha at Lozier Corporation; they lived on 126th Street in the far western suburbs of Omaha. (A tornado came through their neighborhood the day before they moved in). Barb’s memory from that time was of “the wind always blowing”. In addition to running a busy household and raising two active kids, Barb volunteered for the local Girl Scout troop. In 1972 the family moved to Omaha’s District 66, near 80th and Pacific.

In 1978 she began working part time as an administrative assistant for several small Omaha businesses, including Fruehoff and Datatronics, and she continued working until age 72. In 1979, Barb divorced and eventually moved to a smaller home in Whitehall Manor. She was trained as an independent income tax preparer and maintained clients for many years until her death.

In 1987, through the local chapter of Parents Without Partners, Barb met and married William Smithson. They bought a home on 84th Street in Omaha. Barb said one of the best things about Bill is that “he made me laugh!”. They enjoyed several cross-country trips to the West Coast and Arizona, and were married for 22 years until Bill’s death in 2009.

In 2017, Barb sold her house and with the help of her son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Lori Amberg, moved to an assisted living apartment at Ridgewood Senior Living in Bennington, NE. Her final home was bathed in sunlight with a southern exposure and had a stunning view of open farm land. Barb was an avid reader and enjoyed playing dominoes and watching sunrises and sunsets.

In her last years, she was well-cared for by her son Chris and spent time regularly with her daughter when she visited. Throughout the years Barb stayed in touch with her elementary school friends Gracie and Pat, and many friends and relatives.

She was well-loved and will be missed.

Preceded in death by husband, William Smithson; parents, Joseph and Marion McLaren; aunt, Marjorie Fiedler. Survived by daughter, Ann Amberg of Whidbey Island, WA; son, Christopher (Lori) Amberg of Ft. Calhoun, NE.

Private family burial.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations suggested to arthritis.org.