Mary G. Barker, nurse, volunteer

Mary Giambrone Barker, 89, of Somerdale, a former nurse at Wills Eye Hospital who was involved in various South Jersey charities, died Wednesday, Nov. 3, at her home.

After a few years working as a school nurse in the Bridgeport School District, Mrs. Barker took some time off to raise her family.

In the late 1960s, when her five children were in school, Mrs. Barker went back to nursing. She worked at Wills Eye for close to 20 years, her family said.

During that time, Mrs. Barker also volunteered for many charities, including the Society of St. Vincent DePaul and a ladies charity through the Camden Diocese.

As part of her work with the Society of St. Vincent DePaul, Mrs. Barker helped collect food left at her parish, Our Lady of Grace, and, with the help of her children, delivered it to families in need, her son William Jr. said.

She was also a lector and member of her parish's Altar and Rosary Society.

Mrs. Barker was known for her outgoing personality. Her philosophy was that everyone had an interesting story, so she would strike up conversations with anyone - from a corporate executive to a citizen on the street - her son said.

"She would spend the whole time on a plane talking to the person next to her, instead of reading," he said.

A lover of opera, Mrs. Barker had an ear for music and often delighted her family by playing the piano.

Mrs. Barker was born and raised in Bridgeport and graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1939.

In 1942, she received her nursing degree from the Montgomery Hospital School of Nursing. That same year, she met William Barker on a blind date. The couple kept in touch through letters while he served overseas during the war. They married in 1946.

The Barker family lived in Southwest Philadelphia for more than 10 years before moving to Somerdale in 1959.

In addition to her son, Mrs. Barker is survived by sons David, Paul, and Thomas; a daughter, Eileen Coladonato; 19 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 2005.

A Funeral Mass was held Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lindenwold. Interment was at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Berlin.