Barbara was born on Valentine\s Day, 1935 to Dr. Kenneth Bitner Castleton and Elizabeth Qvale Castleton in Salt Lake City, Utah, the second of four children. She died on Friday, the 13th in May, 2016.
From the beginning, she was a bright, adventurous, lively, curious, artistic, healthy child. At East High and later at the University of Utah she was an active participant in social and service activities. She spent many happy times with treasured friends. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, served as Snow Queen at East High and Combined Operations Queen, Engineering Queen and First Attendant to U Days Queen at the U. In addition, she served on the new Union Building Board and on the AWS Board. She was a very good student, graduating in Elementary Education, although her principal interests were art and music.
After completing her degree at the University, Barbara spent a year in Denmark living with a family, taking classes in local schools and appreciating Danish arts and crafts.
Later, back in Salt Lake City, she met and fell in love with Dean Weaver, partly because he played the piano. In 1958 they were married and moved to New York where Dean completed his medical training and Barbara gave birth to three sons, Dean, Douglas, and Patrick.
After returning to Utah in 1970, Dean established his surgical practice.
Daughter, Sarah, was born. Barbara expressed her artistic talent mostly by quilting and gardening. However, the marriage did not last.
In 1977, Barbara remarried in Denver where she lived a non-traditional life with her husband and her two younger children. In Denver, she sewed, painted large canvases and, with her husband, created beautiful stained and leaded glass windows, one of which they donated to Holy Cross Hospital in honor of Barbara\s father, Dr. Castleton, and one to Sarah Daft Home in honor of her mother.
Then, in December of 1989, Barbara fell gravely ill with a terribly cruel and devastating auto immune illness which left her paralyzed from the neck down and with very limited vision. This very independent woman was never again able to live independently- to paint, to sew, to read, to walk, to garden, to spend quality time with her friends or family.
Barbara was a kind woman, always pulling for the underdog, the deprived, the unlucky. She believed the best in people. It didn\t matter who they were; she was willing to take a chance on them. She was generous. She loved art and music and her friends. She loved her children fiercely. She was incredibly observant, always noting a new haircut, a pretty blouse, a handsome shirt. She didn\t have a vain bone in her body. In later years, she returned to her L.D.S. religion, taking great comfort in the kindness of its leaders and those who visited her. She suffered more than anyone should ever suffer.
For 23 years, she lived in what is now Mount Olympus Care Center, far outlasting other patients. We are thankful for the kind and compassionate care she received there for all those many years.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, her son, Douglas H. Weaver, and sister, Jane. She is survived by her sons, Dean C. Weaver (grandchild Dean Weaver) and Patrick Q. Weaver (grandson Cody Carlson) a daughter, Sarah Fitzpatrick (Douglas and grandchildren Dean and Madison Fitzpatrick), a daughter-in-law, Wendy Carrigan (grandsons Justin and Doug Weaver). She is also survived by a brother, Ken Castleton (Linda), and sister, Ann Blackner (Bill Browning).
Now, she may finally rest in peace. We love you, Barbara.
Graveside services will be held Tuesday, June 7th at 2:30 p.m. at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, 4th Avenue and N St. Friends and family are welcome Monday from 6-8 p.m. at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple.
***YOU MAY CLICK ON THE \"DOWNLOAD PROGRAM\" BY THE PICTURE OF BARBARA TO SEE A MAP OF WHERE THE BURIAL WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE SALT LAKE CITY CEMETERY***
In memory of Barbara, please consider a donation to the Dr. Kenneth B. Castleton Student Loan Fund in the School of Medicine, University of Utah, 540 Arapeen Drive, Suite 120, SLC, UT 84108.
