Rest in Peace Maria Barr

It is with deep regret and sadness that we announce the passing of a loved one from one of our Franz Family members.

Richard Barr's wife Maria, passed away on 7-5-23, after 5 hard years of battling cancer, even though Maria was fighting this terrible disease, it was still spent being happy, productive and living her life to the fullest.

Richard Barr has been with the company for 20+ years, and many of us have had the pleasure of working with him through his different career paths with Franz; to know Richard is to love him, he is a sweet kind-hearted soul who has a laugh that always makes everyone smile.

His wife was no different. I have had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Maria, she was sweet and soft-spoken, but feisty at the same time; I immediately liked her the moment I met her, and I knew we would get along very well.

Maria leaves behind her husband, 4 children, six grandchildren and one very cute little puppy named Pearl. Maria had many talents, she was a seamstress, gardener, accomplished artist and painter. Maria excelled in softball, to the extent that she was offered a partial scholarship to play professional ball. Maria also loved tennis, camping, traveling, agate hunting and any family-related events.

Maria was fiercely loyal, extremely trustworthy and overflowing with integrity. She was a voracious reader and was always looking for ways to better the world; Maria was a tireless worker, she was generous, caring, and kind, and represented everything good and beautiful in the world. Most of all, her love for God and her family was unmeasurable.

On her last visit to the Oncologist, the doctor smiled at her and said, "Maria, you are amazing"!

Richard and his son Ben have had to take time off work over the last few months to help Maria and most recently were on leave to be at home with her by her side in her final days.

As we all know the cost of missing work combined with the medical bills, hospital stays, End of Life arrangements, and a memorial service, can take a huge toll financially and cause much un-needed stress in an already dark emotional time.

Richard and his family would be grateful beyond words for any contributions made in this effort, their family and lives will never be the same, but having some support and assistance in any small capacity would be appreciated more than you can imagine; it will help them begin a new "normality" one of these days.