She was surrounded by many family members at her passing. She was born in Sewell, Chile, on December 10, , during a period when her father was working as a mining engineer for Braden Copper Company. Barbara spent her early years in the mining town, before going to boarding school at Santiago College for high school. She attended and graduated from East High School and moved on to the University of Utah, where she received a degree in Spanish secondary education.
During this period, she met and started dating Leonidas Ralph Mecham. After sitting together on a piano bench at a church fireside, they became inseparable.
When Ralph left to serve a church mission in Great Britain, Barbara and her friends started the H triple M club how many more months! Because of physical challenges, Barbara moved to Holladay, Utah, two months prior to her passing, to be closer to family. She served as a temple worker in the Washington, DC Temple for almost 40 years and was blessed to attend the rededication of that Temple in She loved to study the scriptures and found numerous podcasts to support her gospel learning efforts.
Her last calling was to invite the Potomac Ward members to give sacrament meeting prayers. She loved this calling and used it as an opportunity to get acquainted with ward members through lengthy telephone conversationsβno texts for her! Barbara loved to learn new things. Whether it was trying a new recipe or spending hours in her garden, she was never bored or afraid of challenges.
She enjoyed reading and shared titles of new books she had read. Her interests led to joining numerous clubs and organizations where she thrived. She was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Times Club, as well as a local gardening club. She always had a sewing or knitting project going. She loved to explore new places, near and far. She and Ralph shared many trips to places around the country and the world, but some of her happiest times were spent exploring rural Pennsylvania and Maryland with friends, looking for antiques and quilts.
