Barbara Maher, 68, passed away July 7 at her home in Princeton, surrounded by her family.

Barbara was born in September of 1949 in the Weiser, Idaho, hospital. She lived with her family on a ranch in Jordan Valley, until the age of 3. In 1952, they moved to the ranch on Bully Creek in Vale, where she later attended school and graduated from high school in 1967. During that time, she was the Vale Rodeo Queen in 1966 and the Caldwell Night Rodeo Queen in 1967. She continued to live at home while she attended Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) in Ontario, and graduated with an associate’s degree in 1969. While there, she helped start the college’s first rodeo team. She then transferred to Oregon State University where she graduated in 1971 with a bachelor of arts degree. While there, she again helped establish a college rodeo team, and was the Miss Rodeo Oregon 1st Runner-up in 1970. While at TVCC, she began dating Joe Maher and they married Dec. 19, 1971, in Vale. They moved to Star, Idaho, where Barbara began working for the Boise Interagency Fire Dispatch and attended the College of Idaho during the summers to earn her master’s degree, which she completed in 1974. They then moved to Jordan Valley where she taught high school English and coached volleyball from 1974-1980. She put her teaching career on hold to have their first daughter, Michelle, in 1981 and then Megan in 1984. They ranched in Princeton, Jordan Valley, and Diamond during the girls’ early years. Around this time, she won the Elden Catterson Memorial mixed team roping in Burns in 1980, and the Mary Maher Memorial mixed team roping in Jordan Valley in 1983. She also won the women’s team branding in Jordan Valley in 1988. They moved to McDermitt, Nev., in 1987 where she worked on the ranch and as a substitute teacher. In 1994, they moved to Crane, where she taught English, yearbook, and journalism until her retirement in June 2018. She also coached high school volleyball from 1994-2001. She earned numerous distinction awards for the yearbook, and she was honored as the Harney County Teacher of the Year in 2010.

Upon her retirement, she received numerous calls, cards, and visitors sharing messages of appreciation for the tremendous impact she had on their lives, for standing up for them when they were in need, for the countless extra hours worked ensuring that no one got left behind, for the excellent job she did preparing them for college and beyond, and for doing it all with compassion and class. Her family will always be blessed by her life committed to being a loving mother and grandmother, devoted wife, and dear friend. Her courage, determination, and faith will continue to shine brightly in our hearts.

Barbara is survived by her husband of 46 years, Joe Maher; her daughters, Michelle Martinez (Hector) and Megan Brassine (Rusty); five grandchildren, Xavier, Addilyn, Timothy, and Anthony Martinez and Quinn Brassine.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Daniel and Violet (Milligan) Townley; and her brother, Terry Townley.

A Rosary is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 12, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Crane. The funeral mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday, July 13, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Burns, with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. The Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. (MST) Saturday, July 14, at the cemetery in Jordan Valley. Father Bailey Clemens and Father Stan Strzyz will officiate the ceremonies. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Rope for Hope at P.O. Box 328 Winnemucca, Nev. 89446 and/or CAN Cancer at 557 West Washington Burns, OR 97720.

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