1/16/2020
Barbara Jean Fazekas, 75, of Bird-in-Hand, PA passed away on Thursday Jan. 16, 2020. She was the loving wife of Leslie E. Fazekas. They were married in the Hungarian Reformed Church, Passaic New Jersey and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 19, 2018. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, and then growing up in Hawthorn New Jersey, she was the daughter of the late Roderick and Ruth Freese Allen. After graduating from high school, she spent time in Mexico City as a missionary working in a “Send the Light” book store. Their mission included going door to door selling religious Christian literature and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Barb and Les met while working at Bamberger’s Department Store in Saddle Brook New Jersey. Les had just completed a four-year tour with the Air Force, serving mostly on Okinawa Japan. They moved to Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania in 1969, living with her parents for a year before building a house there in 1970. Barb and Les raised four loving sons in that home and were blessed with fifty-one years of marriage.
Les returned to active duty in 1981 so, as a homemaker, Barb raised four boys; often by herself, while he was out of the Country on deployment with the 193rd Special Ops. Air National Guard unit in Harrisburg. She was blessed to have the support and assistance of the Church and local community which helped her at times while Les was deployed. Barb was a long-time member of the New Life Assembly of God Church. The family attended regularly and the boys were raised knowing the Lord. Now grown, each of them is living a life dedicated to helping others as volunteer firefighters and in public service. Barb was always so proud of her boys.
In addition to taking care of the home, she also managed the Intercourse Library for 14 years, served in the Bird in Hand Vol. Fire Co. Ladies Auxiliary and was a Cub Scout leader Pack 65. Through scouting, she completed several leadership programs and was proud of her accomplishment of graduating from the very challenging “Wood Badge” national leadership course in 1986. Barb was a talented gardener, and for many years grew a large crop of vegetables in the garden as well as surrounding the house in beautiful plants and flowers her homemade Rhubarb crunch dessert was a family favorite.
Barb spent years researching our family history; both Allen, which she traced back several hundred years to England and Fazekas, which goes back centuries to Hungary. She discovered that the pilgrim, John Howland, who fell off of the Mayflower and was miraculously rescued, is a past relative. This survivor’s lineage has been traced forward and many prominent families are related to him, including that of President George H. W. Bush. She spent countless hours transcribing a year’s long diary of a relative who sailed to China and back on a Clipper ship. All of her meticulous research was compiled then copied into several large binders then given to her family. Each will be updated with our own family histories and cherished for generations.
Each year, Barb hand crafted hundreds of beautiful cards for friends and church members, which quickly became a treasured ministry. She mailed them at her expense, not just for holidays but often just to let someone know that they were loved and special in the Lords heart. Barb had a gift for sending the right card, to the right person, at just the right time, touching all who received them.
She cherished every birthday and holiday as a time to be with her children and grandchildren but Christmas was Barbs favorite time of year. Hundreds of cookies were baked, presents were beautifully wrapped and dinner was extravagant. Each Christmas Eve, the boys and their families came home to trim the tree and Barb was surrounded by two generations who loved her very much. Her gifts were always so thoughtful and she always made sure “Santa” found the house to deliver a few presents for the grandchildren.
In addition to her husband, she will be lovingly missed by: her sons, James married to Jessica, Leesburg, VA, Stephen married to Jody, Lancaster, John married to Elaine, Maytown, Michael, Bird-in-Hand; six grandchildren; sisters, Catherine (Lou) Tufano, NY, Susan (Dan) Schaeffer, Penryn. A brother, Glenn preceded her in death.
Funeral Services: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 at the New Life Assembly of God, 1991 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, PA with viewing there from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Interment: Mellinger Mennonite Cemetery.
Memorial contributions welcomed to: New Life Church, 1991 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, PA, 17602.