Barbara Bowman Prairie died on August 4, 2024, at the age of 85 in Cincinnati OH, surrounded by her daughters, Adrienne and Karen, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.
Barbara was born on May 4, 1939, in Memphis TN, to Eugene C. Bowman and Mary Irene Wilke Lowe Bowman. Barbara was an active Girl Scout throughout her youth and attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley MA, where she majored in Chemistry. While in NYC she met and married Rick Prairie then moved to Champaign IL, where their children were born. They settled in Cincinnati, divorcing in 1973. During her time in OH, Barbara was active at St. John’s Unitarian church, worked as a counselor at the Margaret Sanger Center, and raised her daughters as a single mom with very limited resources.
In 1982, Barbara and Karen moved to the Washington DC, area where she worked at All Souls Unitarian Church and then to Boston in 1985. Barbara served as the General Assembly Administrator for the Unitarian Universalist Association for the next 17 years until her retirement.
She and husband Rev. Michael Boardman retired to Berea KY, on a whim, and thrived in this small arts and crafts college town. Her door always open, Barbara hosted international students and others in her fully furnished basement apartment. She hosted the annual neighborhood Labor Day party, garden tours, fundraisers, a three-day UURMAPA Board meeting, and more. Upon Michael’s death, she catalogued his whole library.
Barbara was an insatiable tourist. She loved traveling and seeking off the beaten track attractions. If you mentioned your door was open for a visit, she would absolutely show up as an enthusiastic guest. An excellent correspondent and engaged friend, she kept in touch with everyone no matter where she was, sending postcards from every location, as well as her annual Groundhog Day letter.
Valuing experiences over material gifts, family members were treated to trips with Barbara all across the US. Each grandchild chose their own destination for their 10th birthday celebration! She enjoyed sewing, pottery, macrame, woodworking, knitting, quilting, dancing, gardening, and innumerable other media.
Barbara is survived by her brother, Gene Bowman; daughters Adrienne Cruise, Karen Prairie; stepdaughters Katherine Boardman and Sheila Boardman; and six grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Michael Boardman (2005), and partner, David Oldham (2023).
A Celebration of Life was held September 28, 2024 in Cincinnati.