Barbara Strachan Deering Danielson, 66, passed away at her home in Maine on Dec. 2.
She was born in Charlottesville, Va., to Rosemary Sankey, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet and a John Powers model, and James Deering Danielson, a Foreign Service officer. Barbara spent much of her early childhood in Europe and the Middle East, returning to the United States as a teenager.
She graduated from Hollins College, in Roanoke, Va., with a degree in Military History, followed by a degree in Interior Design from Inchbald School of Design in England. Upon her return to the U.S., she worked for Hastings Design and then the Greater Miami Opera, where she was a member of the production staff. In 1985, she became a director of Miami Corp., a family concern.
Barbara’s civic activities included the Dade-Monroe Mental Health Board in Miami, Fla., where she chaired the Alcohol Committee and the Cuban Haitian Task Force before becoming president of the organization. She was a founding member of the Miami City Ballet, serving on the board for many years. Barbara represented the Deering family for the Vizcaya Museum and the Charles Deering Estate. In Northeast Harbor, Maine, she was a board member of the College of the Atlantic and of the Women’s Health Center. Barbara supported the Northeast Harbor Library, the YMCA, and Friends of Acadia. She was a hospice volunteer with Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County, Maine.
Barbara adored the beauty and tranquility of Northeast Harbor and Mt. Desert Island. In recent years, she spent much of her time in Sun Valley, Idaho, which she similarly cherished.
Barbara is survived by stepdaughters Carolyn Napolitano, Lindsley Lowell Monfort and Loring Lowell; her sister, Jocelyn Tennille; her brother, Charles Seitz; her stepmother, Beverly Danielson; two nieces and five nephews.
Barbara was an exceedingly warm and loving person, and radiated an infectious happiness to her many friends and family. Her credo “Live Well—Laugh Often—Love Much” captures her spirit quite beautifully. Barbara will be greatly missed.
A celebration of Barbara’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Deering Estate Foundation, 16701 SW 72nd Ave., Palmetto Bay, FL, 33157 or Friends of Acadia, 43 Cottage St., P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609.
