Obituary of Patricia J. Barta

Patricia J. Barta, 66, passed away on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Born in Detroit, Michigan to the late Thaddeus and Mary Potocki, she was a Lawrenceville resident for the past 31 years. Following her marriage to William Douglas Barta, her beloved husband of 42 years, she also resided in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Waukegan, Illinois. Mrs. Barta received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Wayne State University in Detroit and a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Prior to moving to New Jersey, she taught Public Health Nursing and Public Health Science at the University of Illinois, College of Nursing. She then devoted much of her professional and personal life striving to improve self-management education and health care for persons with diabetes. She coordinated the New Jersey Diabetes Control Program at the NJ Department of Health and served as an education consultant to Eli Lilly and Company, an Indianapolis-based major manufacturer of insulin. She served in officer, board, and committee positions in the American Diabetes Association at state, regional, and national levels, and was a founding member, early president, and long-standing board member of the Garden State Association on Diabetes Educators. She also earned certification as a diabetes educator from the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Until she retired, Mrs. Barta worked with the Center for Health Care Strategies to improve clinical and administrative practices in managed care health plans across the country serving Medicaid recipients. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Barta is survived by two cherished sons and their families, Douglas and MyLinh (Connor) and Joseph and Stacey (Haley, Jozef, and Jamey); her sister, Joanne Wood (Rodger); her in-laws (Caroline, Janet, and Roger/Ann); and several nieces and nephews. Mrs. Barta requested cremation, and no viewing or funeral will be conducted. A memorial service will be held in mid-June at Christ Congregation, 50 Walnut Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540, 609-921-6253. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 1834, Merrifield, Virginia 22116-8034 and/or Christ Congregation.