Cynthia Camp Barker

Cynthia Camp Barker, of Haverford, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully, at home, on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, at the age of seventy-six. She was born on July 8, 1946 in the Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut, the daughter of Frederick and Mabelle Camp of Watertown, Connecticut, where she grew up. She graduated from St. Margaret’s School for Girls in Waterbury in 1964; Middlebury College in Middlebury Vermont in 1968; and received an MBA degree from the University of Colorado in 1999. She married Robert W. Barker, also of Watertown, Connecticut, in the Watertown Congregational Church, on September 7, 1968. After her marriage, Cynthia began a long career in Information Technology, first as a computer programmer for the Crocker Citizen’s Bank in San Francisco, then in systems development for the Toronto Dominion Bank, in Toronto, Canada, for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Denver, Colorado, and for Neodata, in Boulder and Lewisville, Colorado. After receiving her MBA, she worked briefly as a financial advisor for Prudential, before becoming the financial officer for the Water Division of the Natural Resources Department of the State of Colorado. In addition to her working career, she often found herself taking the lead in raising her son, as her husband’s work often required extended periods of domestic and foreign travel. For many years, Cynthia was an active member of the National Organization for Women and campaigned tirelessly for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. She was a gourmet cook and an avid collector of fine wines, which she greatly enjoyed sharing with friends and family. As a member of several gourmet and wine clubs over the years, she prepared and presented many memorable dinners. As a young bride, Cynthia crossed the country to Berkeley, California, where she began her work as a computer programmer, to help finance her husband’s graduate degree. She always supported his career as an international exploration geologist, even when it frequently took him away from his home and family, sometimes for months at a time. She is preceded in death by her parents, Frederick and Mabelle Camp, and she is survived by her husband of 54 years, Robert W. Barker, and her son, Thomas P. Barker, both of Pennsylvania. The family would like to thank the health aides and staff of Visiting Angels, Penn Medicine’s Health Care at Home, and the Main Line Health Hospice at Home, for the care and compassion they showed to Cynthia through her long illness and in her final days. Family and friends are invited to attend a service celebrating Cynthia’s life at the Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, Pennsylvania on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at 2:00 PM. A second service is planned at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, in Northampton, Massachusetts, on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Cynthia’s name to your local food bank.