Family and friends gathered Saturday afternoon for Bobbie's memorial service and celebration at St. John's Episcopal Church.  The Reverend Robert G. Johnson, rector of St. John's led the service.  Music was performed by Brenda McNenny, organist.

A reception followed in the Porthole Club at the Houston Yacht Club where Bobbie and Ken were members for nearly 40 years.  It was great to catch up with so many of the friends that had been a part of Bobbies life.

Late in the afternoon, the Zsa Zsa, skippered by Tynes and Sissy Sparks, and the Retreat, skippered by Hank and Betty Arnold, navigated through a 300 strong regatta of teens in sailboats to take friends to the Upper Galveston Bay for a ceremony committing Bobbie's ashes to the bay to join Ken.  Doug read the liturgy, Tom Feehery led the Lords Prayer and Steve Baker, Sherry Raiehle, Alicia Gill, Mike Davis, and Stephen and Franci Jarrard led us all in a moving Amazing Grace when the ashes and wild flowers were committed to the bay.  It was a beautiful clear afternoon on the bay.
 

St. John's Episcopal Church

Reverend Robert G. Johnson 

 

 

From the front of the service leaflet.

A Celebration of the life of Barbara Brokaw Duryea February 18, 1917—July 7, 2003 “Bobbie”, as she was known from early childhood on, was born in Blackfoot, Idaho. Her father was an engineer who helped electrify the West; and the family moved from Idaho to North Dakota to Oregon. At age 11, Bobbie lost her mother and went to Chicago to live with her Aunt Nina (Brokaw) and Uncle Clyde Burns. Two older cousins (James and Barbara) had moved away, but two (Miriam and Jeannette) still lived at home. Thus Bobbie always felt she was one of the “Burns (Brokaw) Biddies” (women with strong personalities). Bobbie moved to Texas to join her father. At the University of Texas, she met and married William Kenneth Duryea (“Ken” to family, “Bill” to friends).*  Dian was born in Austin in 1939; Tony in Orange in 1942, and Doug in Galena Park in 1946. In 1949, the family moved to Bellaire, where Bobbie continued her dedication to civic responsibility:  She was active in the Bellaire Presbyterian Church; she was a troop leader when Dian became a Girl Scout; she participated with Tony and Doug in Cub Scouts; she joined a group to found a new library for Bellaire; she helped campaign for a high school in Bellaire; she taught swimming for the Red Cross.  And while she was doing all this she returned to college to finish her education. She received a degree in education from the University of Houston, and for many years was a special education teacher with the Houston Independent School District. In the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s Bobbie continued to lead Scout troops, after a sailing camp was opened at Casa Mare, she taught several “generations” of scouts to sail. She still worked with scouts after sheand Ken retired to Shore Acres in the 1980s. She also taught sailing in the women’s program at the Houston Yacht Club. An enduring interest in natural science was inherited from her Brokaw family. Through the scouts, Bobbie developed in many young women a love of nature and the outdoors. With the Outdoor Nature Club and others, she went on many nature adventures, among them a trip to the Amazon to count pink dolphins. Her concern for the environment led to her involvement in the Galveston Bay Foundation. After Ken’s death in 1986, she devoted most of her time to nature and environmental concerns. From her UT years on, Bobbie and Ken especially loved New Braunfels, where the family spent most vacations on the Comal River. In 1998 Bobbie fulfilled her dream and moved to New Braunfels. Here she lived until last year, when her illness required that she be closer to Doug in Bryan. *(Note:  Bobbie and Ken were descended from Huguenot ancestors who sailed to America on the same boat and married sisters in 1683!)

by Dian

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Service leaflet

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The Liturgy for the bay ceremony.

"In the midst of life we are in death; of whom may we seek for succor, but
of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased?

"Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful
Savior, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death.

"Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears
to our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and
merciful Savior, thou most worthy Judge eternal, Suffer us not, at our last
hour, through any pains of death to fall from thee.

"Forasmuch as it hath pleased almighy God of his great mercy to receive unto
himself the soul of our dear sister here departed: we therefore commit her
body to the deep, looking for the resurrection of the body, (when the sea
shall give up her dead,) and the life of the world to come, through our Lord
Jesus Christ; who at his coming shall change our mortal body, that it may be
like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, wherby he is
able to subdue all things to himself.

"The Lord bless her and keep her, the Lord maker his face to shine upon her
and be gracious unto her, the Lord lift up his countenance upon her, and
give her peace. Amen"

Then may be said The Lord's Prayer

Aboard the Zsa Zsa

Aboard the Retreat

The Retreat navigating the fleet on the way out.

The Laser and the Pram fleet.

The Boat People

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