Barbara Ann Mays Meisenbach's Obituary
She was given the name Barbara Ann by her parents but decided as a child to go by “Ann” because “it was less formal.” Her father subsequently nicknamed her Annie Roonie after the Shirley Temple Movie “Miss Annie Rooney,” and it was later shortened to simply Roonie.
Roonie was born in Dallas and grew up in the East Grand area. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and later SMU. She married David Meisenbach in 1958 and had three children who she nicknamed the 3 K’s: Karl, Kristi, and Kurt. In 1969, she obtained a teaching certificate and went on to teach in DISD and RISD and as children’s director at Interfaith Housing Coalition. She also drove a school bus to and from school and often brought her students home in it to swim in the family’s backyard pool.
One of her greatest strengths was her compassion and empathy for marginalized communities, and she volunteered her entire life to support the homeless and underserved. Another gift she had was the ability to go with the flow of life. From allowing her children to purchase a monkey, to the impromptu parades, she was a woman who improvised life.
She was a very spiritual woman, who taught Sunday School and later on became a Reiki Master.
Although she deeply loved her sons-in-laws, Patrick and Steve, and her granddaughters-in-law, Blair and Louise, truly her five grandchildren (Amanda, Brandan, Darius, Ethan, and Eva) were the greatest loves of her life. They were her heart and soul, and she loved them fiercely and deeply. For as she always said, “The Children are our Future.”
She will also leave behind many other family members that she loved: cousins and nieces and nephews.
To say she will be missed is an understatement, but we know she has gone on to bloom in God’s garden.
What’s your fondest memory of Barbara?
What’s a lesson you learned from Barbara?
Share a story where Barbara's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Barbara you’ll never forget.
How did Barbara make you smile?