Helen Barbara Homsher

Helen Barbara Koch, known to all as Barbara, was born on March 19, 1939, in Reading, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late Henry M. Koch Sr. and the late Helen (Bowman) Koch. Barbara grew up in Wyomissing Hills and graduated from Wyomissing High School in 1956. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts from Goucher College in 1960, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Secondary Education. She launched her career in Washington, D.C., working for U.S. Senator Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania. After returning to the Reading area, she taught as a substitute teacher in the Wilson and Wyomissing school districts. Decades later, driven by her passion for counseling and youth, she earned a Master's degree in Secondary Counseling from Kutztown University in 1987.

On July 23, 1960, Barbara married Frederick Lee Homsher at Atonement Lutheran Church in Wyomissing, beginning a partnership of fifty-seven years. Together, Barbara and Fred built a life defined by love of family, deep involvement in their community, love of travel, and summer vacations with friends and family at Blue Sea Lake in Quebec, Canada. Fred, a metallurgical engineer who spent 32 years with Carpenter Steel, preceded her in death on September 15, 2017. During their retirement years, Barbara and Fred were on the go, visiting family and traveling extensively, including memorable trips with their grandchildren.

Barbara was passionate about helping young people prepare for their futures through education and career exploration. Hired by the Berks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) to oversee career education, she worked with school guidance counselors in response to a rise in student suicides in the region. She developed the Educator Internship Program, a summer initiative that placed teachers in professional workplaces, and created a teen parenting program that enabled pregnant students to remain in school and complete their education. Her career education curriculum for Berks County schools was later adopted as a graduate-level course, and she presented her work at the National Career Education Conference.

Across more than five decades, Barbara's volunteer service touched virtually every corner of the Berks County community. She served as President of the Junior League of Reading. She was a Girl Scout troop co-leader, a Judge of Elections in Wyomissing Hills, and served on the Boards of Directors of the Berks County American Cancer Society, Berks AIDS Network, Berks Visiting Nurse Association, Atonement Lutheran Church Council, and United Way.

Among the causes Barbara held closest to her heart was Berks Talkline, which she helped bring to life beginning in 1990 as an outgrowth of her work at the BCIU. Recognizing a desperate need for a crisis and emotional support line in the community, she secured financial backing, partnered with GPU for office space, and worked with community leaders to recruit corporate support. Barbara served on Talkline's Board of Directors and as its President, guiding the organization through its growth until 2014. For twenty-four years, she was a driving force behind a service that offered lifelines to thousands of people in their most difficult moments.

In 1994, Barbara chaired the founding committee of the Wyomissing Area Education Foundation (WAEF), at a time when such school-based foundations were nearly unheard of. Working with a dedicated group of community leaders, they identified four priority areas: Technology, Continuing Education, Fine and Performing Arts, and Sports and Wellness, and guided the Foundation through its earliest grant-making years. She went on to serve as WAEF's President and as a long-time member of its Grants Committee. The Foundation stands today as one of the enduring monuments to her vision for educational opportunity and enrichment in Wyomissing.

Barbara is survived by her three children: Cindy Homsher Wildermuth and husband Robin; Pam Homsher Promisel and husband Andy; and Peter Homsher. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Claire Wildermuth Sadler and husband Tom, Chad Wildermuth and wife Rachel, Grace Wildermuth and husband Ryan, Michael Promisel and wife Marlee, Jake Promisel, David Promisel, and Caroline Homsher; and seven great-grandchildren: Lincoln, Carter, Leo, Becket, Noah, Adelaide, and Fern. She is further survived by her brother, Henry M. Koch Jr. and her brother-in-law, Joseph Homsher.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date at Atonement Lutheran Church, 5 Wyomissing Blvd., Wyomissing, PA 19610.

Contributions may be made in Barbara's memory to the Wyomissing Area Education Foundation (WAEF):

The Homsher Fund

630 Evans Ave., Reading, PA 19610 (https://www.wyoarea-foundation.org/)

or Atonement Lutheran Church, https://atonementwyo.org/give.

Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Homes, Inc. is entrusted with the arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhomes.com.