Obituary of Barbara Morseth

On September 2nd, Barbara Morseth was walking in her woods south of Eugene when she collapsed on the soft earth under the trees and died of natural causes. She was 89.Born on December 23, 1923, Barbara Jean Taylor grew up on a farm in Michigan with three older brothers. She attended Judson College in Alabama and graduated from Michigan State College with a degree in social work. WWII found her aiding the war effort by working in an industrial assembly plant in Flint.At war’s end she met and married Richard Morseth; they moved west and settled in Seattle where, in their first year of marriage, Barbara contributed to family funds by selling encyclopedias. Soon after, the children started arriving: Wendy, Grant, Scott, Laurie (Kayl), Michele. The family moved to the Willamette Valley in 1958 and settled in Eugene in 1967.Barbara met life with a big smile and unbridled enthusiasm. She encouraged Rich and the children to strike out in all sorts of endeavors—and they did. Her exuberance for living and doing and sharing subbed off on her countless friends. Her engagement with books, arts, music, theater, worldwide travel and outdoor adventures would not have been so meaningful without the joy she found in the people around her. She enjoyed taking her three grandchildren to cultural events, even when they were quite young.Barbara was closely involved in the family business, Cascade Plating and Machine, but her true passion was community theater in Albany, Corvallis, and Eugene. She continued to be active after Richard’s death in 1998, traveling, entertaining friends, and performing in readers’ theater. She loved the mountains and had been eagerly anticipating a tent-campout at Waldo Lake this fall.In her honor, a memorial celebration is scheduled for Sunday, December 22—which would have been her 90th birthday—at Dalia on Broadway, 898 Pearl St., Eugene, from 3:00-6:00 pm. All who her knew are welcome. Contributions in her memory may be made to her favorite 501(c)3 organizations, Reality Kitchen and the Very Little Theater.Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com