Barbara (D’Onofrio) Harrison

Sponikopeta, pizza fritts, Sunday Macs, and leg of lamb are a few of the delicacies Barbara Harrison, 92, of Kent, (June 14, 1928 - May 13, 2021) served her family for more than half a century. Her canned peaches and pears tasted like summer in the middle of winter. Meals were scrumptious, loud affairs in the Harrison household that cultivated thinking, questioning and debate in her three children. Barbara and George, her husband of 67 years, encouraged them to be critical consumers of culture through rich discussion and determined action. She marched for Civil Rights and against the Vietnam War in the 1960’s. She worked and volunteered for the American Cancer Society and Kent Visiting Nurses.

Barbara’s righteous convictions were cemented at an early age in New Rochelle, New York where she was born and grew up attending the public schools which at the time were on the cutting edge of Progressive Education. This was life-altering for the youngest of five whose parents emigrated from Italy to the U.S. with only middle school educations. School introduced her to art, literature, theatre and sports, broadening her intellect and interests. Barbara was a voracious reader, devouring multiple books a week from Charles Dickens to Daphne duMaurier to Wilbur Smith. For years she sewed matching dresses for her young daughters and exotic fur coats and gowns for their Barbie dolls. She attended woodworking classes in the evenings designing and building furniture for her home.

Barbara met George J Harrison when his mother, a work colleague of Barbara’s, invited her to dinner. The scheme paid off; they were married in 1954 and after years of living on the east coast while George completed his undergraduate, Masters & Doctorate degrees they settled in Kent, Ohio in 1967 when George became a professor at Kent State University.

She and George traveled extensively after George retired; Italy became their favorite and most frequently visited travel destination. Luckily, she didn’t have to travel far to get regular doses of her two granddaughters who called her Yaya.

Barbara is preceded in death by her parents, Frances and Antonio D’Onofrio; her sisters Fran, Micky, Toni; brother, Pat; son-in-law Harvey Robb. She is survived by her husband George, her daughters Janet of San Francisco, CA, Alita (Rick Rogers) of Akron, OH, and son Andrew of Chandler, AZ. Barbara’s grandchildren are Sarah Rogers Morris (Corbin) and Madeline Stull (Adam). Her great grandchildren are Milo and Maxine Morris.  

Private Services to be held. Contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.

Services in care of Bissler & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, 628 West Main Street, Kent, OH 44240.

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