Karin June (Friberg) Barlow, 91, a former resident of Barkhamsted, New Hartford and Torrington, died May 23, 2023, at Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Canaan from natural causes. She was the beloved wife of the late Ted W. Barlow.
Karin was born April 4, 1932, in Shreveport, La., one of twin daughters born to Oscar and Norma (Carlson) Friberg. She grew up in Pasadena, Calif. While in sixth grade, Karin had to stay home from school because of rheumatic fever. During this time, she read the Sue Barton series of novels about a young student nurse, which inspired her. She graduated from Pasadena High School and Pasadena City College and was accepted into the nursing school at Stanford University.
While she was living in San Francisco, one Sunday morning at church she met a young Marine from New York state named Ted Barlow. She first saw him as he knelt to talk to a small child and thought to herself, “What a kind man.”She was never more correct. They wed Jan. 15, 1955, in Pasadena and were happily married for 67 years until Ted’s death last year.After receiving her degree from Stanford, Karin embarked on a career of more than 40 years as a hospital nurse, visiting nurse and school nurse.
In Litchfield County, she worked at, among other places, Winsted Memorial Hospital, Brooker Memorial, Foothills VNA, Torrington’s Forbes School and New Hartford’s Ann Antolini School. She had a beautiful singing voice from a young age, loved to sing in church choirs and often was a soloist in Sunday worship services at the churches in Pleasant Valley (where Ted was pastor for five years) and Bakerville. She also had the unofficial titles of head cook and camp nurse for a dozen years at Camp Trinita in New Hartford while Ted was the executive director from 1972-84.Karin began attending church as a girl and developed a deep Christian faith that guided her life. She had a limitless capacity to forgive and an endless supply of love for others.
Karin is survived by her children, Bill (Inger), of Oberlin, Ohio; Steve, of Torrington; Wayne (Christine) of Fairlee, Vt.; Greta (Doug) Passeri, of Pine Plains, N.Y., and Nancy, of Vernon; grandchildren Anna (William), Kristen, Ryan (Alex), Samantha (Bismark), Kaitlyn (Danny) and Tanner; great grandchildren Will, Oliver, Lena and Theo; twin sister Libby of Virginia and younger sister Greta of Colorado, and 15 nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly.
Memorial donations are suggested to FISH, 332 S. Main St., or the Operation Overflow homeless shelter, c/o Trinity Episcopal Church, 220 Prospect St., both in Torrington.
A celebration of Karin’s life is being planned for Aug. 12 at Camp Trinita in New Hartford. Online condolences can be made at www.kelsocorneliusfh.com.