babs E. Mayer

babs Mayer, 67, of Massasoit St. passed away Friday (5-21-21) at home. She was born in Chicago, Il. on April 20, 1954, the daughter of Arthur and Lucille (Edelburg) Mayer.

babs received her BA from Illinois State University along with Special Education teaching certification.  She poured her love into caring for children with special needs, who opened to and healed from her real offers of support and safety.  She later found her true calling working with survivors of domestic violence.  In this field, she counseled and advocated for people experiencing or recovering from domestic violence.  She was able to earn the trust of people who had been traumatized so she could guide and encourage them to make real and lasting changes in their lives.  She linked her passion for art with this caring and learned art strategies and activities to do healing work with survivors at A Window Between Worlds.  babs led many art groups, each one culminating in self-esteem building performances. 

 babs was a true artist, always scanning the environment for interesting objects and then using them to compose original works that spoke to hearts everywhere.  She loved outdoor adventures and enjoyed kayaking, hiking, and exploring.  Her garden blossomed under her care. 

One of babs’ goals was to have a show of the art created out of her experience of living with cancer.  She achieved this with an exhibit at the Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.  The show was well-received and was especially appreciated by people who stopped by while at the center for treatment.  They felt seen, heard, and understood by babs’ works.  babs later created a book with images from this show and freely distributed it to be shared with people whose lives were touched by cancer.

 babs is survived by her wife, Beth Hersh.  Also by her brother and sister-in-law Don and Grace Mayer and her brother and sister-in-law Alan and Carolyn Mayer and many nieces and nephews.  She is also survived by Beth’s family, who she had taken into her heart and loved as her own. 

A Celebration of Life Memorial gathering is being planned for this coming summer due to current and recent COVID restrictions. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the babs Mayer scholarship fund at awbw.org/babs

Arrangements are under the direction of Kostanski Funeral Home.

For condolences, please visit www.kostanskifuneralhome.com

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