Barbara A. 'Babby' (Ericson) Schwarz

Schwarz, Barbara "Babby" nee Ericson Age 87 of Edina. Died June 10, 2016, from colon cancer. Babby was born January 30, 1929, in Baltimore, MD. She graduated from West High School in 1947 and attended the University of Minnesota. She returned to the U in her 60s to graduate in 1994 with a BS in Public Health. She is preceded in death by her parents, Reinhold and Margaret Ericson, her brother John, step-son Jay Schwarz and son-in-law Brad Richards. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, John Schwarz, and by four children, Kathryn Anderson Richards, Mpls (Alyse, Sydney and Faith); Keith Anderson (Beatrice), Manhattan, MT (Wyeth, Soren, Ian and Tristan); Judd Anderson (Evy), Baltimore, MD (Christina and Clare); Sara Hahn, Bozeman, MT (Hadlie and Andy); five step-children, Randy Schwarz (Lorri), St Paul; Sara Groden (Tom) Boston (Susan and Erin); Scott Schwarz, Tamarac, FL (Joey, Justin and Stephanie); Carrie Burke (Kevin), Ft Lauderdale, FL (Jonathan, Brandon and Riley); Jay's wife Jesi, Dallas, TX (Susan, Maria and Joseph); Bruno Schwarz, Belgrade, MT; foster son David Waithaka, Nairobi, Kenya (Ruth Barbara and Josephine); six great-grandchildren (Teagan, Weston, Charley, Beau, Athalia and Braylon); and nephew Greg Ericson and nieces Tracy Evilsizor and Lynn Bayco. Babby loved her large, merged family12 for dinner every night. She was a deeply believing, active Christian. In 1978 she started and ran for several years Logos Bookstore, a Christian bookstore at 50th and France in Edina. In 1985 she and John went to Kenya as missionaries, where they were active on and off for several years. Babby worked in the library at Daystar University (the largest Christian college in Africa); she was the registrar and song leader for Bible study courses that John taught in the Nairobi slum of Mathare Valley; and she helped plan and build a K-12 school and a clinic-based community health care program in two other slums. The highlight of Babby's work in Kenya was her involvement in Kinyago-Dandora School outside Nairobi, which today has almost 1,000 students. She also found homes and tuition support for five Kenya slum boys that she and John brought to the States for college in the 1990s (three graduated from the U of M) and has been "Mama Babby" for their families ever since. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent in Babby's memory to Daystar US (8011 34th Avenue South, Bloomington 55425) or Kenya Children's Fund (P. O. Box 4159, Hopkins, MN 55343). Babby was buried in a private service at Lakewood Cemetery on June 13. There will be a memorial service at Colonial Church of Edina (6200 Colonial Way) at 11:00 am on Saturday, June 25th with a visitation 1 hour prior. Babby's family would like to thank the staff at Jones-Harrison for the special care they gave to her during the final week of her life. Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996

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Barbara A. 'Babby' (Ericson) Schwarz

June 10, 2016

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