On Jan. 17, 2023 Barbara Ann McCrae Wilde died surrounded by loving family and friends.
Barb was born in 1949 to Helen and Spencer McCrae and raised in Salina, Kansas.
She finished a BA in 1972 then a Med Tech certification which she used for years of hospital lab work. In 1972 She married Ron Wilde and moved with the U.S. Military to South Korea where her two children, Brian David Wilde and Honor Lee Wilde, were born. She and Ron lived the next 41 years in Oklahoma and Texas until his death in 2013. In 2020 she moved to Port Townsend where she enjoyed being near a brother and sister, many new friends, and mild summers.
Barb Wilde was a bright, optimistic person who was always ready to dive into anything. She will be remembered by many friends for her remarkably extensive experience with fiber arts. She began her exploration in fifth grade when she made her first dress and realized she could modify any pattern. From that initial discovery of limitless creative options, Barb explored many aspects of fiber arts throughout her life. She dove into quilting, creating dozens of quilts as she expanded into a business. She loved to spin, often spinning yarn then weaving her own fabric to make a unique garment. She raised llamas, alpacas and sheep which she showed in competitions then sheared and processed the wool to be sold in her yarn shop, Rosewood Yarns. There she created a space where friends gathered daily as a fiber community to share their lives and enjoy Barb’s generous support. Her passion for fiber arts exploration took her into many other areas. Knitting, crochet, cross stitch, bobbin lace, and knitting machines were among them. She enjoyed the sock machines used in many homes to create socks for World War II soldiers.
In recent years Barb discovered a new love in creating jewelry. She went on rock-hunting trips for stones to polish and developed an extensive jewelry workshop that allowed her to dive into this new passion. Her workshop will live on as an initial contribution to assist Northwind Arts Center at Fort Worden, Port Townsend, as they establish new creative jewelry classes.
Barb was quick to make and keep many friends through a lifetime of diving into other diverse activities, such as active participation in her Methodist churches and many bridge groups. She was an enthusiastic gardener who left dozens of jars of the jams and juices that she loved to can. She traveled to many places including the Galapagos Islands, Israel, and the Spanish Camino.
Barb will be missed by the many friends she left in Texas and in her new home in Port Townsend. Her loving and generous sharing of the many passions that she dove into was a lasting joyous gift to all who loved her.
Barb is survived by her son, Brian Wilde with his wife Kelly; and daughter, Honor Canon with her husband Stephen; seven grandchildren, Kirsten, Noah, Lenore, Jackson, Ethan, Aiden, and Mason; and three siblings, Sandy McCrae, Bj McCrae and Virginia McCrae.
