Barbara Anne Kalina

On the evening of Wednesday, April 22nd, Barbara Anne Kalina, born Barbara Anne Gebes, daughter of Frances Lies Gebes and George Gebes, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of her family. She lived her life fiercely with an insatiable curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.  At eighty years of age, you might find Barbara zip lining through the canopy of the Costa Rican jungle or hang gliding in North Carolina. All this while fighting a long battle with cancer. Barbara began her work life as a nurse on the first heart team in Chicago. She then had six children, took care of multiple aging family members and simultaneously managed to attend night school at Waubonsee Community College, and subsequently complete a bachelors and masters degree from Mundelein College in Chicago. Barbara was a devoted language arts teacher with a deep love of literature. She annually celebrated Shakespeare’s birthday with her students at the Sam Rotolo Middle School (formerly Batavia Junior High) dressed in an Elizabethan costume hand sewn by her. She introduced her middle school students to the Socratic seminar and taught them to think critically and deeply about the world around them. Barbara also shared her love of education working with middle school educators throughout the United States helping them to better serve their students. She had a profound attachment to Armour Lake in Presque Isle, WI, where she and Richard enjoyed their beautiful cabin in the woods and a vibrant community of friends. For those who knew her, Barbara seemed an unstoppable force; strong, brilliant, creative, hardworking and resilient. Barbara is predeceased by her loving husband, Richard. She lives on in her six children (Cynthia, Susan, John, Marianne, Paul and Kristine), three sons-in-law (Bob, Erich and Jeremy), daughter-in-law Fannie, twelve grandchildren, friends and extended family, as well as the hundreds of students whose lives she changed for the better. She will be deeply missed. 

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Information forthcoming. 

Barbara had multigenerational family ties to Batavia. She was deeply committed to the community and believed in supporting local arts and cultural organizations. Therefore, in lieu of sending flowers, the family asks any donations be made in support of the Batavia Public Library (  https://www.bataviapl.org/support ) and the Batavia Fine Arts Centre (https://www.bataviafineartscentre.org/donate/)   for donations

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