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Barbara MacDonald
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Barbara R. (Foecke) MacDonald was born in Yankton, S.D., in 1948. She grew up in the small northeast Nebraska town of Hartington. She graduated from Cedar Catholic High School in 1966, briefly attended Wayne State College and graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, with a degree in social work in 1970, and later a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. While attending UNL, she met her husband, Charles”Chuck” MacDonald, a USAF Lieutenant at the time. Chuck and Barbara were married in 1970, and Barbara followed Chuck during his 46 years of being under contract with the Air Force. Chuck and Barbara lived in Keasler AFB, Miss.; Italy; Shreveport, La.; Lincoln; Denver, Colo.; Alamogordo, N.M.; and finally, 19 wonderful years of traveling while living in Germany, before retiring to Pensacola. Being retired in Pensacola, she loved the daily buzz of local restaurants, theatre and having family nearby.
Barbara had many jobs; she was a mental health clinic patient screener, youth center director, juvenile detention center counselor, juvenile probation officer, Junior Achievement facilitator, non-profit fundraiser, meeting facilitator and trainer, substitute high school teacher and education services provider.
Barbara died July 8, 2024. After nearly 54 years of marriage, she is survived by her husband, Chuck, a retired USAF military and civilian attorney; and her son, Matt, an aeronautical engineer and USAF pilot, as well as the world’s best daughter-in-law, Lisa, and grandchildren, Tommy and Jack. Having had 11 older brothers and sisters, Barbara leaves behind two siblings, Jerry Foecke and Mary Davis.
Barbara did not desire a formal funeral nor celebration of life, but instead hoped people would celebrate and remember her in whichever way best suited them. Anyone wishing to donate to a venue near and dear to Barbara’s heart can do so at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?donation=pensa to benefit The Pensacola Little Theatre that she loved attending.
