SCHRECKENGAUST, BARBARA STARR

SCHRECKENGAUST, BARBARA STARR – 97, of Mechanicsburg, PA and Stone Harbor, NJ, died peacefully on October 10, 2015. She was the founder of the William Ris Gallery. She was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Judge and Mrs. Raymond W. Starr. While an events planner for the USO she met and married Samuel A. Schreckengaust, Jr. of Harrisburg, PA at the University of Michigan Law School where he taught in the Judge Advocate General’s School during World War II. After moving to Harrisburg, they had six children. In 1966, with a strong belief in the value of the arts, she, along with her late son William Ris Schreckengaust, opened the first location of the William Ris Gallery in Camp Hill, PA. In 1971, a year after Bill’s passing, she also opened a gallery in Stone Harbor, NJ which remains open today. She added a third location in Hershey, PA which operated for several years in the 1970s. With equal parts of clear vision, determination, knowledge, and steadfastness she created a space for excellent artists and craftsmen. She remained involved and passionate for over forty years as she influenced and supported the arts. She is survived by son, Raymond Schreckengaust (Susan), Camp Hill, PA; daughter,Mary Cantone, Ocean City, NJ; son, Mark Schreckengaust (Carol), Harrisburg, PA; and daughter Elizabeth Tomlinson (Andrew), Haddonfield, NJ; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Her husband of 64 years, Samuel, died in 2008. Her eldest child John Schreckengaust (Audrey), Mechanicsburg, PA died in March of this year. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.