My Test Newsletter

Barbara Schmidt Millar died of cancer in 1995 at age 42. The Celebration of Life Triathlon is a tribute to her memory. Barbara was a loving wife and mother, beloved daughter and sister, a dedicated nurse, and a thoughtful, caring friend.  

We miss her!

Barbara graduated from Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley in 1971 as the class valedictorian. She then attended Fresno State and received her BS in Nursing in 1976. She was a nurse in both San Luis Obispo and Petaluma before settling down in Grass Valley to work at Auburn Faith Hospital.

Before her return to Grass Valley she married Charles "Chaz" Millar in l984. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in l987 which she overcame and survived. Their son, Stewart, was joyously born on December 18, 1990. Two years later, in 1992, Barbara was diagnosed with sarcoma of the brachial plexus. She fought a valiant and courageous battle for the next 3 years while raising her son, loving her husband and family, encouraging her friends, and being a loving Christian woman to everyone whose lives touched hers.

I met Barb in the local adult volleyball recreation league back in 1984 shortly after she got married. We quickly became friends, spending time together taking long walk-and-talks, going to the show, and of course playing volleyball.

When her second diagnosis of cancer placed her in hospice care I decided to do my first Danskin sprint triathlon in San Jose. Since I was only a runner I had to learn to swim a half mile and bike 12.5 miles. Not owning a bike made things difficult until a friend loaned me her 10 year old mountain bike. So began my training...learning to swim in another friends pond, learning to shift gears on a bike, and running as much as possible.