Barbara Blanche Pavan

Dr. Barbara N. Pavan, 88, died peacefully, January 19, 2021 at Duke Hospital, Durham, NC. Beloved wife of Dr. Robert J. Pavan, mother of Michael J. and John D and outstanding educator. She was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Rahway, NJ. An alumna of Bennington College, Adelphi University and Harvard University, where she earned her doctorate. She was an elementary school teacher on Long Island, principal of the Franklin School, Lexington, MA, a non-graded team-teaching school which drew visitors from around the world and the first woman hired to the faculty in educational administration at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Her doctoral students became principals and superintendents. She authored books and consulted in 40 states. She was admitted to Harvard without applying when interviewed by a professor who proclaimed, “I want you as my doctoral student.” Barbara lived in Troy, NY, Bethpage, and Westbury, L.I., Bridgeport, CT., Newton Centre, MA, Valley Forge, PA, before moving to The Forest at Duke in Durham, NC.

Her interests were dance, art, architecture, French and Italian cooking, using herbs she raised and music, particularly jazz. The first of her foreign travels was in 1962 when her husband and sons, Michael, and John, undertook a two-month self-planned driving tour of the UK and the continent. She then traveled to Western Europe almost every year. Travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia began in 1989 with a four-week tour of republics in the then USSR. In 1991, she and her husband took an extended tour of Japan, China, and Hong Kong. During her illness, when in-person visits were prohibited due to COVID quarantine, she was visited by telephone and ZOOM. She is survived by her husband of nearly 70 years and two sons, Michael J. of Falmouth, MA and John D. of Southern Pines, NC, who will miss her very much.

The Pavan family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Durham, NC. Online condolences: www.hallwynne.com; select obits.