July 28, 1935 — Oct. 23, 2016

Barbara Ellen Durm, 81, of Niles, died peacefully following a brief illness at 9:03 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016, with family gathered at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka, Indiana.
She was born July 28, 1935, at the family home on 13th Street in Niles to Raymond E. and Bertha (Sheets) Ramsby.
She graduated from Niles High School, and has lived here all of her life. She was employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a rural letter carrier for the Niles Post Office, and was a member of the National Rural Letter Carrier Association.

Barbara was a member of Saint Mary Catholic Church in Niles, where she was a Eucharistic minister, and was a volunteer at the Berrien County Youth Fair. She enjoyed knitting and crochet, and made a blanket for each great-grandchild. She would often be found in the kitchen baking, and was well known for her exceptional chocolate chip cookies and rolls. She had a great appreciation for the outdoors, especially during winters on Sanibel Island in Florida.
On Jan. 24, 1953, at Saint Mary Catholic Church, she married Charles E. Durm, with whom she celebrated a remarkable 63rd wedding anniversary earlier this year.
Barbara was preceded in death by a 13-month-old daughter, Sharon, in 1963; her parents; her sisters, Loretta Antoniu, Joan Bixby and Verda Albert; and a brother, Charles Ramsby.
Surviving family includes her husband, Charles Durm; their children, Charles R. (Cindi) Durm of Cody, Wyoming, Joan (Raulf) Noffsinger of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Nancy (Bill) Messner, Pamela Murphy, Robert (Gail) Durm and Carrie (Tim) George, all of Niles; 17 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Barbara Durm will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016, at Saint Mary Catholic Church in Niles, conducted by the Rev. Christian Johnston of the parish. Committal rites will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Niles. The family will receive relatives and friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, at Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles, with a recitation of the rosary at 7:30 p.m.
Contributions in memory of Barbara may be made to the Sheep Department of the Berrien County Youth Fair.
www.halbritterfunerals.com