Barbara Jane Anderson

Barbara Jane Anderson, nee Schroeder, of Denton, Texas, passed away after a very brief illness on Friday, July 17th, 2026. She was born on May 17, 1940 in Cleveland, Ohio to Doris and Ted Schroeder. She spent a childhood moving frequently; Ohio, Rhode Island and the family settled in the Chicago area. Barbara attended four different high schools and graduated from Fenton High School, in Bensenville, Illinois.

After high school graduation, Barbara attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and graduated with a BS in Aviation. She flew with American Airlines as a stewardess based in both Boston and San Francisco. She was able to attend the wedding of her roommate at Stephens, Noriko Asano, in Tokyo, Japan, with her stewardess friends, a true highlight of her life.

Barbara met A. Richard Anderson (Dick), on a blind date during a layover in Chicago. They were married on August 8, 1964, in Oak Park, Illinois. They later welcomed daughters, Jennifer Lynn and Meredith Lee.

Lisle, Illinois became home for Barbara. She was active in the girls’ school activities as a room mother and as a Girl Scout Cookie chair. She even found time to go back to school and earn a BA in Comparative Religion from North Central College, Naperville, Illinois.

She was active in her church, First Congregational, UCC, of Naperville, and later a founding member of Hope United Church of Christ in Naperville.

Barbara and Dick enjoyed travelling around the US with their daughters, first in the SportsCoach camper and in their Piper Aztec airplane. They also traveled internationally: Canada, Bermuda, England, India, Israel, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Turkiye, Japan, China, and Australia.

In 2008, Barbara & Dick made their final trip to Denton, Texas and moved to Robson Ranch. They enjoyed their fantastic neighbors and the Any-Excuse-For-a-Party group. Barbara enjoyed being a part of the KIWANIS Club and loved being a tutor at Borman Elementary School in Denton. She was also involved at their new church, First Christian Church of Denton.

In 2019, they moved to Lake Forest Village. Barbara loved her little cottage – it reminded her of being in the North Woods of Wisconsin – except for the heat.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Doris and Ted. She leaves behind her husband of 62 years, Dick Anderson, her daughter Meredith Lee Anderson of West Allis Wisconsin, daughter, Jennifer Lynn and son-in-law, Jeffrey Teller of Highland Village, Texas. She was greeted at the Rainbow Bridge by her beloved Winnifred, Max, Sebastian, and Winston – all very good dogs.

A memorial celebration will be held on Sunday, August 30 at 2:00 PM at First Christian Church of Denton, 1203 Fulton Street, Denton, Texas 76201. If you are unable to be with us in person, please do not hesitate to participate online at the FCC website: https://www.fccdenton.org/online.html Please click on the [Stream Service] button. Streaming will begin a few minutes before the service begins.

Please do not wear black – she loved colorful clothing and we will be celebrating a life well-lived.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, where Barbara was a docent for many years. She was thrilled to show people the prairie and her favorite spot in the spring – Daffodil Glade. Memorials may also be sent to First Christian Church of Denton.

“AND ALL GOD’S PEOPLE SAID, YES!” ~ Barbara Anderson