Obituary of Barbara L Prescott

Barbara Prescott passed away peacefully at home on January 7th, 2024, her loving husband of 59 1/2 years by her side and her youngest daughter, Holly, soothing the transition by playing the harp for her. Barbara was devoted to family and maintaining connections across the generations including organizing family reunions and making sure memories were made and shared, always with a camera to capture the moment. She is preceded in death by her father, Pierce Readler, and her mother, Maybelle Readler. Barbara was active in her communities including as a high school athlete and social butterfly. It was her beauty and high energy that first caught the eye of her classmate, David, who went on to court her as she attended medical technician school and while he was in graduate school in Philadelphia. David and Barbara married in 1964 and almost reached a remarkable milestone of 60 years together. She maintained her connections to her Glenolden High School classmates over the years, sharing and creating memories over the years. She was a visionary for Philadelphia's Art Museum District in which she and David saw the beauty of the neglected urban victorians. Together they bought a few of these buildings in the mid-60s to renovate and maintain, connecting along the way with an eclectic and vital group of friends that hosted parties and raised young families together. She recognized the value of being bilingual before it was 'fashionable' and embraced the friendships her older daughter Leslie had, especially with Nelida Sepulveda, who became an unofficial daughter of the family. While David had a career as a professor at Bryn Mawr College, Barbara was a medical technician, specializing in hematology & cystic fibrosis research, for a number of years as well as adeptly managing the properties and taking care of aging parents. She navigated the suburban norms and made new connections through her longtime involvement in the Radnor Scholarship Fund and the Radnor Republican Party, eventually becoming an election official overseeing voting days, making it a fun and engaging experience while playing an important role for democracy and the local political party. She was the family archivist and loved to share the history and photographs from the various eras with the younger relatives. She took the effort to capture the newer family moments with her camera, the endless drawers and boxes of photographs as evidence of her desire to create a record of the wonderful life she created for her husband and daughters. She made sure that her daughters got to see grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on a regular basis making, trips to communities in and around Nescopeck where her parents grew up. Eventually her desire to reconnect with the rural life of her ancestors drove her to look for property in upstate Pennsylvania where she and her husband once again had a vision, this time for an old building, the Catawissa Opera House. They lovingly restored this building as well as a farmhouse nearby. Her boundless energy and creativity always needed an outlet, which old properties seemed to mollify. Barbara grew up in a time where she had to fight for the scraps but always found a way to achieve in style, including sewing her own fashionable dresses and creating a vibrancy that attracted others. Not wanting to perpetuate these inequities, she made sure to provide for her daughters and three grandsons. She is survived by her husband, David Prescott, brothers David Readler (Kathy) and Clark Readler (Jean Decker) and daughters Leslie Prescott (Matt Healey), Paige Prescott (Randy Merker) and Holly Prescott-Schultz (Bryan Schultz), three grandsons, Connor, Kieran and Ryan Healey and nephews Lewis Prescott, Craig Readler, Garrett Readler, John Readler and Ben Readler and niece Alison Nisonger. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her Funeral Service on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 11am at McCausland Garrity Marchesani Funeral Home, 343 S. Chester Pike Glenolden, PA. 19036 followed by her burial at Valley Forge Memorial Garden's, King of Prussia. Her visitation will be held of Saturday from 10-11am Online Condolences: www.mcgfh.com