Obituary of Barbara A. Schubring

Barbara A. Schubring (New Brighton, MN)

Barb Schubring passed away on February 25, 2023 from metastatic breast cancer. She was 61 years old. We will miss her beautiful smile, optimistic spirit, and loving heart.

Barb belongs to a close-knit family. She is survived by her mother Elaine Schubring, Kaukauna, WI; sister Cathy Amdall (Loren), Dallas, WI; niece Erin Larson (Brian), great nephew Matthew and great niece Natalie, Farmington, MN; and her nephew Drew Amdall (Olivia), Gresham, WI. Her father Robert preceded her in death in 2019. 

Born in Kaukauna, WI on April 11, 1961, Barb had a spinal condition that challenged her throughout life, but rarely slowed her down. At 18 years old, Barb came to Minnesota for college and lived in the Twin Cities for most of her adult life. She moved to her current home in New Brighton, MN after a divorce from her wife of 17 years. Barb earned a Masters’ degree in Liberal Studies from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). She was also a certified Spiritual Director.

Her legacy lives on in her devotion to others. She inspired many students  through teaching art and graphic design—for 10 years at the MCAD, and then at Wanganui Polytechnic School of Design in New Zealand for five years. In the next phase of her career, she worked in nonprofit grant management and advancement. For 14 years, she served as the Director of Organizational Advancement at the YWCA of Minneapolis, and then held a position at Guild where she retired in 2020.

Barb loved art, books, travel, vibrant colors, long conversations, and tapioca pudding.

Special thanks to N.C. Little Hospice, Open Arms, and the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center team for their excellent care of Barb during her illness.

Her friends—from the many circles of her life—wish her peace and enduring love. What an incredibly high bar she set for a life well lived.

A funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minneapolis, MN. Visitation begins at 9:30 a.m. with the Mass to follow at 11:00 a.m. Inurnment will take place at a later date in Kaukauna, WI. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Open Arms of MN, Minneapolis or N.C. Little Memorial Hospice, Edina. Online condolences can be made at cremationsocietyofmn.com.