Barbara Elizabeth Tarr Notari

Barbara Elizabeth Tarr Notari passed away peacefully on March 13, 2025, at the age of 76, following several years of declining health. She passed away at the Midlothian Healthcare Center where she had resided for the last six years of her life.

She was born in Spokane, Washington on October 19, 1948, to the late Julia and Joseph Tarr, Jr. Her sister Jeanette Tarr and brother Joesph Tarr, III predeceased Barbara. Her former husband Ronald Notari predeceased Barbara in 2011.

Barbara is survived by her sister, Patty Poole and husband Danny Ogg of Houston, TX; sons Matthew Notari and former wife, Theresa of Port Angeles, WA; Eric Notari, and former wife, Beth Notari of Midlothian, TX. Grandchildren Chloe Notari, Kennedy Notari, Nikoha Notari and Makayla Notari. Nieces Malisa Baumgard (Jerry) and Michelle Chudy (Mark) of San Antonio, TX; Nephews Joe Tarr, IV, Bill Tarr and sister-in-law Fay Tarr of Winston Salem, NC; Cousins Barbara Gay, BettyAnn Cline, Julie McDougall, Valerie Truax, and Tom Lovasz. She also leaves behind a loving extended family of beloved nieces and nephews.

Barbara graduated from Northern High School in Durham, NC and from Louisburg College, Louisburg, NC. She worked in administration at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, Oaks Christian Church, Houston, TX, the Bank of Brenham, Brenham, TX and helped to serve her community by volunteering with children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Barbara’s greatest joy was her children and grandchildren, whom she loved deeply and spoke of often with pride. She had a special affection for the architectural beauty of the classic “little white church” and traditional country chapels—places that, to her, symbolized community, tradition, and a timeless spiritual refuge for comfort and hope. Barbara loved singing in church and treasured her time in the choir. The Christmas season was her favorite time of year, when her love of faith and music came together in the singing of Christmas carols—songs she happily listened to and enjoyed all year long.

She was also an avid reader of American frontier stories, especially those written by Louis L'Amour, whose tales of courage and the open frontier captured her imagination. Barbara shared her creativity through quilting and crocheting and expressed a special artistic gift as a skilled floral designer. Whether working with fabric, yarn, or flowers, she found joy in creating beauty and sharing it with others.

Her love for her family, faith in a higher power, music, and the simple beauty of flowers and music will remain a lasting memory for all who knew her.

The family wishes to thank her home caregivers Lizz Carlton and daughter Hannah for their dedicated and compassionate voluntary care who assisted Barbara while she resided in housing for the disabled with specialized support and accommodations. The family also appreciates the special care given by the Midlothian Healthcare staff and their Hospice staff.

Memorial contributions in Barbara Elizabeth Notari’s’s name may be made to the U.S. Pain Foundation, helping people living with chronic pain to improve treatments and policies, can be made at https://uspainfoundation.org&…