BARR

Charleen Dee Barr, 81, of Johnstown died peacefully on July 6, 2026, at the Pathways Inpatient Care Center with her husband, Ralph, holding her hand. She was born on September 18, 1944, in Denver to Charles Daniel and Eunice Rena (Bryant) Lewis. Her father died suddenly a couple of months before she was born and her mother later married his brother, Eugene Lewis. She was raised in Denver and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1962. During high school, Charleen reached the rank of Worthy Advisor for The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.

She went on to attend McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History in May 1966. It was there she met Ralph Barr, Jr. and they were later married on August 20, 1966, at Prince of Peace Brethren Church in Denver.

She began her career as the assistant to the Director of Libraries with McPherson Public Schools for a year while Ralph finished his schooling. They took jobs with the Department of the Interior, teaching on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She taught fourth and fifth grade for two years. They owned horses and rode in the Badlands while learning the traditions and culture of the Reservation. This was one of the most valuable experiences of her life. She was accepted to the University of Denver where she received her Master of Library and Information Sciences in 1970.

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