Barbara Langford McGowan

Barbara Langford McGowan “Babbie”

Age 90, of St. Paul, passed away peacefully on September 16, 2025.

Barbara was born in St Paul, MN to Nathaniel and Mildred Langford and graduated from Summit School. She attended Middlebury College and graduated from U of MN with an Elementary Ed degree. She and Jack were married soon after and had 6 daughters. She worked as a teacher and then as a library assistant for the remainder of her career, primarily at St. Anthony Library in St. Paul, where she cultivated her love of reading. Babbie enjoyed travel, playing a variety of games, including Backgammon, crossword puzzles, playing Mahjong with the neighborhood ladies, and time at the lake cabin. She especially enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, including her beloved Jack to whom she was married for 66 years. She volunteered for Meals on Wheels and loved doing Storytime with preschoolers. Babbie is remembered for her kindness, her empathy, her bright smile, her gentle spirit, her ability to make people feel valued and loved, and for her connection with children and animals.

She is preceded in death by her husband Jack McGowan, her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Ted Lottsfeldt, Janet and Bill King, Anne Cline, Sonny Cardozo, Martha and Victor Salvatore, and Robert and MaryJo McGowan. She is survived by her daughters Betsy (Fritz Kreiser), Cynthia (Tim) McGowan-Heath, Susan (Jack) McGowan-Stinski, Barbara, Anne, and Patty (Peter) Orme, sister Jo Lottsfeldt, 13 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and her sisters-in-law and brother-in-law: Patricia Cardozo and Sheila and Mark Hayes.

A gathering of family and friends will be held Monday, December 29, with a visitation from 3-5 pm and a Celebration of Life service at 5pm at O’Halloran and Murphy, 575 Snelling Ave S, St. Paul, MN. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Meals on Wheels, Friends of the St. Paul Public Library and the Animal Humane Society.

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