Barbara M. Stoddard

Barbara Stoddard died on January 4, 2020. She was born Barbara Joan McGrath in Dallas, Texas, at Florence Nightingale Hospital. She grew up in Dallas until her father accepted a job in Monterrey, Mexico as the Comptroller for a mining company. Barbara went to the American School in Monterrey and quickly learned Spanish on the playground. When she graduated, she attended SMU in Dallas as the youngest Freshman in school history. Barbara wanted to become a dancer but had bad knees. She majored in Art with a minor in Education.

She returned to Monterrey, where she taught for a few years. Barbara then moved to San Antonio and taught at one of the less fortunate elementary schools for several years. While teaching, she earned her M.Ed. Barbara came to Dallas I.S.D. and taught at Casa View Elementary, Edna Rowe Elementary and David Crockett Elementary, which became Ignacio Zaragoza. As Barbara said, “all the students picked up their desks and carried them across to the new school.” She taught ESL at Zaragoza where she put into use the Spanish she had learned in Mexico as well as during Parent Conference Nights, eventually being persuaded by her husband to be his translator on Parent Conference Nights at his school. Barbara was active in both after school activities for her students and personal activities. She was a member of the Classroom Teachers of Dallas, Texas State Teachers Association, National Education Association, Eta Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, National Association of Parliamentarians, the Dallas Retired Teachers Association, and the Texas Retired Teachers Association. She served as an officer in many of these organizations. Barbara loved teaching and was well-loved by her students.

Barbara was an avid collector and creator of dollhouse miniatures and loved to meet with her friends every month in their club, the Mini Cousins. She taught art at the elementary level and brought the love of creating miniatures into her art classes. When DISD eliminated art at the elementary level, she became an ESL teacher. She taught her students the art of making dioramas by creating miniature historical scenes in shoe boxes and some of the students appeared with Barbara on

the Mr. Peppermint show. In 1981, Barbara served on the first Board of Directors of the Society of American Miniaturists and wrote the bylaws for the association.

She is survived by Richard Stoddard, her loving husband of 45 years, her nieces, Tracy DeFore and Terry Laikko, and her nephews James McGrath and Roy McGrath. In lieu of flowers you may donate to Best Friends Animal Society, The Dallas Opera, or the Eta Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma.