Barbara Harms
November 13, 1924 – December 12, 2009
Former St. Mark’s, Altadena, parish secretary, Hillsides board member and clergy spouse Barbara Hopkins Harms of Escondido died Dec. 12 after a long illness.
Survivors include her husband, the Rev. Richard B. Harms, two children, four stepchildren, thirteen grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
She was born November 13, 1924, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After losing her parents at an early age, she and a younger sister moved to Pasadena and were raised by an aunt. She attended Polytechnic School and Westridge School for Girls. During World War II, she worked as a civilian secretary at military bases around the country while her first husband, Henry R. (“Bud”) Van Brussel, was serving in the Navy. She then settled and raised her family in Altadena. As her children grew older, Barbara was employed as a secretary at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Altadena and at Pasadena City College.
Married July 21, 1973, Barbara and Richard Harms lived most of their 36 married years in Escondido, where she worked in real estate. Services were held December 18 at Trinity Episcopal Church, Escondido, California 92025. Donations may be made to Trinity Church in her name.
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on Dec. 16, 2009