1/8/2020
Barbara McClure Haas, 80, of Narvon, died on January 8, 2020 after a short bout with cancer. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Delaware County, graduated from Sharon Hill High School and Ursinus College. She got her Master’s degree in Audiology from Kent State University.
She worked at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville and the Elwyn Institute in Delaware County before moving to Narvon and opening her own hearing aid business in 1990. She was the first audiologist to serve on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Hearing Healthcare Association.
She was interested in bridge, golf (she was a member of several Ladies Golf Leagues – Hawk Valley, Chapel Hill, Willow Valley), and – most importantly – birding. She was the first female Treasurer of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Along with her husband (Franklin) she co-founded and edited the magazine Pennsylvania Birds for 14 years. As a birder, she traveled to 36 states, Canada, Switzerland, and France. Her North American Life Bird List was 724 and her Pennsylvania List was 393.
Since 2005, she and Frank traveled to Adak Island in the Aleutians twice a year (spring and fall) in search of Asian birds who made a wrong turn during migration and ended up in the Bering Sea. This pursuit resulted in finding and photographing the first North American record of Eurasian Sparrowhawk.
She is survived by her husband, Franklin.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 1 pm at the Holiday Inn, Morgantown. For more information, go to www.FranklinHaas.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Bird Conservancy