Barbara Lubar

Barbara, 75, died peacefully in her home on Tybee Island on Wednesday, May 14, following a series of medical complications after a fall.

She is predeceased by her loving parents, Gary Lubar and Lorraine Kahn Lubar. Barbara was born in Savannah on May 22, 1949 and was a graduate of Savannah Country Day School, Class of 1967. She then went on to graduate from Boston University, majoring in Sociology, in 1971. Barbara worked doing research for a professor at B.U. before taking a job helping to resettle Russian Jewish immigrants. Although she was drawn towards helping others in this way, her early passion for dance came to the forefront through the many classes she took in her free time in  Boston.

This calling took Barbara to New York City where she obtained a master’s degree in dance education. This period of her life was one of her happiest. She loved ballet classes with her mentor from the Joffrey Ballet and modern dance classes with many inspiring teachers.

After NYC, Barbara moved to Atlanta where she was a member of the modern dance company, Lee Harper and Company, and a professor of dance at Brenau University. When Barbara was 36, she was diagnosed with a rare disease, Budd Chiari, a blood clot in her liver. She was very lucky that her life was saved by an experimental surgery, a portacaval shunt, developed by Dr. Warren from Emory. Barbara was one of only 500 patients who had this procedure and almost certainly the longest-living survivor. The procedure is no longer performed because they discovered it caused pulmonary hypertension, which Barbara was diagnosed with at 50 years old. Her doctor at Emory said she likely had 2-3 years to live. Little did he know that Barbara was a fighter with a strong will to live. She went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester and Dr. Krowka treated her with cutting edge medication and she went on to live not just 2 years, but over 25 years.

After her illness in her mid-30s, Barbara decided to move back to Savannah to be closer to family. She started working as an artist-in- residence in the Savannah schools. Barbara often talked about her diverse group of students and the delight she felt seeing a student find confidence or discover a gift they didn’t know they had through dance and movement.

Barbara had a great eye for design and with the help of an architect she renovated two homes. Her first home was a former vocational school on Bay St., dilapidated and filled with pigeons, that she transformed into a beautiful loft. The second was her family home at Tybee that she changed from a small concrete block to a spacious, light filled “beachy” home that makes everyone feel happy and welcome when they enter. Barbara treasured living full-time at the beach and found refuge in the quiet and in the ocean.

Barbara also loved to travel, from her 20’s when she traveled around Europe with friends to more exotic trips to Russia and South America. Many of her favorite trips were with her sister Pat Scheuer to Alaska, Prague and Vienna. Barbara also loved going to Austin often to visit Pat and her daughter Jen. She enjoyed having Jen and her friends around and would become so animated as she engaged them in conversation.

The place she loved most, other than Tybee Island, was Hana, Hawaii. She spent many months over several years with her sister Kathy Lubar, Kathy’s husband George Kinder and their daughters London and Rachel in Hana. Her favorite beach in the world was Hamoa Beach. Barbara also participated in silent meditation retreats with George and Kathy in Hana and on Big Island and was a natural meditator. She sat like a Buddha when she meditated, so focused, peaceful and still.

The last trip Barbara and her sisters took was to Bermuda for her 70th birthday. On one of the evenings Barbara joined in the reggae line dancing and had clearly lost none of her talent or joy of dancing.

Barbara was not only a loving sister and aunt to her three nieces but also a dedicated mom to her three dogs -- Sam, Nessie and Hana. She rescued Hana from a puppy mill and Hana would never let Barbara out of her sight. Hana survives her and has been adopted by a loving family in Tybee which brought great peace to her in her final days.

Her greatest joy other than family and travel in the last two decades of her life was her weekly trainings with her trainer and dear friend, Drew Edmonds. Barbara loved a good physical work-out and her Mayo doctors all attributed her surprising longevity to these. Even during Covid Barbara and Drew enjoyed working out together faithfully on Zoom. They both spoke of their special bond as transcending friendship, much more like family. One of the most extraordinary things about Barbara was that through all her surgeries – liver, brain, stomach, two hips, a shoulder and knee replacement and her chronic lung and heart illnesses, she very rarely complained. Barbara was strong, spunky, and feisty. She had the spirit of a warrior and the heart of a dancer. Even in the hospital bed during this past month, she was dancing with her hands to Teddy Swims and making us laugh.

One of her closet friends, Jan Duffy, said of her, “When it comes to Barbara, I have been changed for good. Her loving big sister influence and encouraging presence will continue to endure in my heart.”

In Barbara’s last hours, all her pain and suffering were absent, and she so clearly transcended the physical plane into a deeply spiritual one. This was her final gift to her sisters who will miss her terribly.

Barbara is survived by her loving sisters, Pat Scheuer of Austin, Texas and Kathy Lubar of Littleton, Massachusetts. She cherished her nieces with whom she was also very close, Jen Scheuer, London Kinder and Rachel Kinder. A celebration of Barbara’s life will be held for family and close friends at a later date.

Donations can be directed to the ASPCA.