Margaret Barber Burnham November 29, 1915 - July 17, 2011

Margaret Barber Burnham, longtime resident of Black Butte Ranch, died July 17, 2011 at the age of 95. She was an adventurous woman who was devoted to her family and a very wide circle of friends with whom she kept in touch through many handwritten letters. Her intellectual curiosity and her love of art were hallmarks of her life.

Born in Berkeley, California, to Oscar Barber and Ava Earle Barber, Margaret was descended from pioneers who settled in California in the mid-1800s. She attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. On June 5, 1937 she married Carl Burnham, also of a pioneering California family. Shortly thereafter, they moved to El Salvador for Carl's job. After two years, they returned to Berkeley where Margaret remained while Carl served in the Pacific during World War II.

After the war, Margaret followed Carl by steamer with her three small boys to Buenos Aires, Argentina, again for Carl's job. They returned to Berkeley in 1950 where they remained until the late 1950s, and made another move to San Diego, where Margaret was a docent at the San Diego Museum of Art and also served as chair of the Docent Council from 1964-1966.

Her final move was to Black Butte Ranch in 1975, where she led an active life playing tennis into her late 70s and organizing groups for bridge, book discussions and art tours. As one of the earliest residents of the Ranch, she became legendary for introducing newcomers to others at her evening cocktail hour.

She is survived by her sister Ave Jean Pischel Brumbaum of Nicasio, California; her three sons, Carl Jr. of Black Butte Ranch, Clark Burnham of Piedmont, CA, and Robert Burnham, also of Piedmont; six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Carl; her sister Betty Hadden; and her brother Tom Barber. Donations may be made in Margaret's memory to the Black Butte Ranch Art Guild, P.O. Box 8000, Black Butte Ranch, OR 97759.