Barbara Elizabeth (Walker) Muller was born to Earl and Mary Loughead Walker on Feb. 2, 1947 in Philadelphia, Pa. She died April 17, 2015 at Drakes Crossing, Ore. due to an auto accident. She was 68.
When she was a child, her family moved to East Pittsburg, Pa. where Earl was the pastor of the Lutheran church. She played the organ for services and was active in her high school marching band. Barbara earned her bachelor of arts degree at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. where she met Wayne Muller. They married in 1969.
She was active in the Thiel Choir which toured the United States and Europe. Barbara was also active in the theatre department at Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio.
When Wayne went to work at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock, Barbara took art classes, traveled with a children’s theatre company, worked with the performing arts department and played Burt Reynold’s cousin in the movie, White Lightening.
In 1972, Wayne and Barbara moved into the attic of Tom and Hartlyn Tower’s little house across from North Falls in the Silverton Hills. It was their seventh move since their wedding. A few months later, they rented a farm two miles up the road and then moved to a home in the same neighborhood in 1975.
Since moving to Silverton, Barbara has continuously led and participated in Bible studies, taught and coordinated Bible Release and Summer Bible School and played piano for worship services. She taught Littlest Angel preschool for years and her own community preschool and kindergarten in the Silverton Hills.
At Silverton Friends Church, she taught classes, led the choir, played the keyboard, served as interim youth pastor and helped organize women’s retreats, plus other projects. She was currently attending the Chapel in the Hills where she played piano and led singing.
Barbara was employed as an instructional assistant for the Silver Falls School District for 10 years, most recently at Robert Frost School.
She is survived by her husvand, daughter Elizabeth, son Benjamin (Lindsay) agrandchildren Micah, Amelia and Tristan, and her brother Michael. Her parents and sister Rebeccs preceeded her in death.
The funeral is Friday, May 1 at 5 p.m. at the First Christian Church, 402 N. First St., Silverton followed by dinner. Interment was Thursday, April 30 at Green Mountain Cemetery, 20080 Bridge Creek Road SE in the Silverton Hills.
