Barbara Jeanne Starz. Barbara Crooks. Barbara Nathan. Barbara. This natural redhead was born a brunette in Dallas, Texas on August 30, 1936 and passed from this earthly life on February 16, 2025, having sampled all the joys it had to offer. She is preceded in death by her parents Frank Starz and Joni Jungman and sister Frankie Lou Starz. Most of what follows is fully corroborated; if anything is embellished, raise a glass, for that was one of her greatest gifts. From the family home on Mockingbird Lane, Barbara attended Ursuline Academy, Highland Park High School, then Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1957 with a BA in Radio/Television and Psychology. She finished her formal education doing graduate work at UCLA Business School. Her decades-long career in radio started with interviewing movie stars making the promotional rounds (there is a photo of a smitten John Gavin eyeing her across the Press Luncheon for his 1961 tearjerker, "Back Street"). Always magical in a room, she shifted to sales and quickly rose through management, ultimately leading to her move to New York City in 1983 with ad agency John Blair & Co. Barbara's years in Dallas were blessed by her first marriage, to Stanley Crooks, and the birth of her two beloved children; her years in NYC broke new ground for career women as she served as Vice President of Satellite Music Network, the first satellite-delivered network to provide live 24-hour-a-day music programming to local stations. Pivoting to life as a divorcee in the big city, Barbara never stopped entertaining and enchanting, yet her heart skipped a beat on a trip back to Dallas when she ran into her first love at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, thirty years after they were once briefly engaged. No one forgets those crystal blue eyes, certainly not William Nathan, and after a whirlwind romance, the reunited soul-mates married in Beverly Hills in 1990. Settling in London. Barbara the businesswoman became Barbara the bridge player, the horse-racing aficionado, the socialite. These years, and her travels with Bill, were among the most treasured of her life. She is survived by her children Beverly Wildasin and husband Keith, David Crooks and wife Alissa; her grandchildren Jack and Scarlett Wildasin, and Hannah Crooks; her step-children Mike and Jody Nathan, and her step-grandchildren Bonnie and Jesse Nabors. Barbara truly lived her 88 years to the fullest, blazing a colorful path in her own inimitable style. Her smile was ever brilliant, her heart always open. Never saw bad in people, never met a stranger. She will be deeply missed by those that knew and loved her. A Funeral Mass will celebrate her life on Monday, March 3, 2025 at 2:00 pm at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, immediately followed by a reception.

Click this link to visit Barbara's Personal Remembrance Page to share your cherished memories and upload photos of your time with her.