Barbara Jean Finfrock, 91, Barb to all who know and love her, entered into the Lord’s eternal rest on November 7, 2026.
Born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the daughter of H. Frank and Dorothy Rhoades Finfrock, Barb attended South Side High School and graduated with the class of 1953. She graduated from Purdue University in 1958 with a major in English and later received her MA in English from Old Dominion University in 1968.
Barb was always an avid reader and developed a love for words and the English language that she carried with her throughout her career. She taught English in public schools for 13 years before taking her skills to the federal government, where she worked as a writer-editor of technical documents for the U.S. Navy and the Library of Congress. She retired in 1993 as Resources Manager of the Library’s Information Technology Services division.
Barb became a Gettysburg, PA resident in 1992. She had told her Library of Congress coworkers she planned to do nothing but relax on weekends there. Her calendar proved otherwise. Throughout the 90s and early 00s she could be seen climbing fences, touring the Gettysburg Battlefield, volunteering, and keeping the grounds safe as one of the first members of Park Watch.
Known affectionately as “Mother Friends,” Barb joined the board of the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg, later serving as Vice Chair, and was influential in the 2006 merger that formed the Gettysburg Foundation and in the building of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. The preservation of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site were very important to Barb, as were the people who joined her in this noble cause, “The Friends of Gettysburg,” a membership group she cherished for decades and was truly the heart of.
Barb also served on the boards of the Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Evergreen Cemetery Association. She was a member of the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church and served as a Trustee. She was an active volunteer at the Rupp House History Center, Gettysburg National Military Park, the Adams County Historical Society, Highland Township Planning Commission, and Michael Manor nursing home.
She loved Elvis (with whom she proudly shared a birthday!), Final Four basketball (Go Boilermakers!), and mowing her grass on her John Deere tractor while she was able. She cherished time with her many friends, family, high school classmates, and Gettysburg community.
She is survived by her sister, Karen Carbaugh (Mark) of Fort Wayne, IN; nephews John G. Eastman (Cindy) of Fort Wayne, IN, and D. Frank Finfrock (Rhonda) of Memphis, TN; nieces Laura Chambers of Beaumont, TX, Becky Godfrey (Marty) of Powder Springs, GA, and Sarah Sandman of Fort Wayne, IN; many great-nieces and great-nephews; several great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews; and many dear friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Mary Lou Eastman and Patricia Ann Finfrock; and brother Martin Frank Finfrock.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, November 13, 2026 at the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church at 2:00 PM with Rev, Caleb McClure officiating. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery. There will be a viewing at the church on Friday from 1:00 PM until the time of the service.
In an interview with her beloved Preservation & Progress newsletter, Barb said, “My hope is to keep forever ignited the flame of passion to preserve.”
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Barbara’s memory to the Finfrock Endowment at Gettysburg Foundation, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325, or Gettysburg Presbyterian Church, 208 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, PA 17325. Online obituary and condolences available at monahanfunearalhome.com.