Barbara Tan

Barbara Ann Tan, 78, formerly of Edinboro, died Sunday, July 29, 2018 in Kent, Ohio. She was born in Cleveland on January 28, 1940, the daughter of the late Elmer and Marguerite (Ohlinger) Fessenmeyer.

Barbara earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Spanish from Western Michigan University in 1962 and a Masters in Speech and Language Pathology from Illinois State University in 1969.  She worked as a Speech/Language Pathologist in Meadville and then as an instructor and clinical supervisor at Edinboro State College and Allegheny College.  From September of 1976 through January of 1995, Barbara worked for a variety of agencies in Crawford County, providing in-home Speech/Language services. Barbara also worked with a partner to develop a program called Baby Grow during the mid-eighties.  Her final job as a Speech/Language Pathologist was with the Dr. Gertrude Barber Center from 1995-1997.

Barbara retired in 1997 to fulfill her dream of becoming a full-time writer.  Over the next 20 years Barbara would spend time attending writer’s conferences and classes, and writing both poetry and prose. She was a member of both the Pennwriters and Second Tuesday writing groups.  In 1995 and 1997 she received Honorable Mentions in the Artifacts Writer’s Competition for her short stories.

One of her proudest accomplishments was researching, writing, and publishing a book about her mother-in-law.  Her research for this book took her to China, a trip she enjoyed immensely.

Barbara was an avid member of the Democratic Party and she could frequently be found at political rallies and events.  She was also an avid musician who played several instruments.  Barbara liked nothing more than to organize her grandchildren into performance groups where they would play instruments, dance and sing.  Barbara’s grandchildren were the world to her.  She enjoyed having the chaos of the children calling for “Bamma” to do things with them, and as the grandchildren grew older she frequently traveled to watch their school and sporting events.

Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Ronald Reinig.

Survivors include a daughter, Leslie Tan (Kevin Martin) of Kent, Ohio; two sons, Christopher (Cindy) Tan of South Burlington,Vermont and Craig (Kristin) Tan, of Henrico, Virginia; a brother, George (Joanne) Fessenmeyer of Ashland, Ohio; seven grandchildren, Xander and Lyssa Tan, Trevor, Griffin and Gavin Tan and James and Erik Martin.

A memorial service will be held at the Glunt Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 210 Erie Street, Edinboro, on August 12 at 1:00 p.m with a reception following.

Burial will be in Edinboro Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Chautauqua Foundation supporting the Arts at giving.chq.org. To send condolences please visit www.gluntfuneralhome.com.