Feb. 12, 1934 — Nov. 6, 2023
Barbara Joan Helfand, 89, of Ashland passed away peacefully on Nov. 6 at her home with her family at her side.
Barbara is survived by her daughter Joanne Feinberg and sons Steven (Gisele), Gary (Caprice Briggs) and Peter, as well as grandchildren Jack, Sophia, Ben, Rachel and Sarah, beloved brother Richard Hertz and niece Kathy Hertz, and dear cousins.
She was born to Meyer (Mike) and Esther Hertz in Brooklyn, New York. Sadly, Esther passed away when Barbara was just 4 years old. The family moved to the Upper West Side in Manhattan with Mike’s second wife, Fay. That is where Barbara met her lifelong friend Renee (Rosenthal) Landau at age 7. They talked on the phone every day up until her passing. She formed another enduring friendship at 13, when she met Barbara (Glabman) Azzara at Camp Pontiac in the Berkshire Mountains.
Barbara graduated from high school at 16½ and attended junior college at the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut) from 1950 to 1952. After a stint working at AC Nielsen, she began working for the esteemed interior design firm McMillen Inc. There she began a long friendship with designer Albert Hadley. The job inspired her creative side and proved to be an influence in her artistic future.
Barbara married Robert Howard Helfand in 1959 and they lived in Washington Square Village in New York City. Although she and Bob moved to New Jersey in 1963, she was always a “city girl” at heart.
When looking for a preschool for daughter Joanne, Barbara met Suzanne Spector, who was involved with the Montessori school in Englewood, New Jersey. This began another lifelong friendship, as well as a professional relationship, when they founded the Children’s Center, and then later the Center for Open Education. The school was based loosely on the Summerhill School in England and the writings of its founder, A.S. Neill. Barbara was the administrator for over 20 years, overseeing the private school that served children from kindergarten through high school.
She left her position at the Children’s Center in 1980 and moved back to Manhattan’s Upper West Side while her youngest son Peter finished high school. In 1984 she went west to San Diego, where she opened an upscale clothing store in La Jolla called Rivage. She loved running her own business and meeting lots of people through the work.
In 2003, she moved to Ashland. The 20 years she lived there were full of artistic pursuits. She learned to make handmade books with artist Albee Smith Zajack, who became another dear friend. These books were distributed around the world to children and teens in such places as Afghanistan, Uganda, Oakland, California, and Ashland.
She loved attending the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, had season tickets to the Rogue Valley Symphony and watched four or five films a day during the Ashland Independent Film Festival.
Spiritual and personal development was always important to Barbara. She was involved with The Pathwork and the Carl Rogers Center for Studies of the Person, studied Buddhism, and for the last five years participated in Contemporary Mussar classes at Temple Emek Shalom, finding it a rich and rewarding endeavor.
There will be a celebration of Barbara’s life next spring at Stinson Beach, California, in accordance with her wishes.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her memory to ACCESS Community Action Agency of Jackson County, Dunn House Shelter (community-works.org) or End of Life Choices Oregon.
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