BARBARA LOVEJOY DUNLEVIE March 2, 1935 to June 18, 2020

Resident of Palo Alto

Barbara Lovejoy Dunlevie passed away peacefully at the Vi retirement facility in Palo Alto at the age of 85 on June 18, 2020 where she had been a resident for the past 15 years. Barbara was born in Manhattan, New York to Frederic and Elizabeth Lovejoy and was the youngest of 3 girls. Barb attended Teachers College in New Paltz, NY where she received a bachelor's degree in Education with a minor in Fine Arts. She married Halton Axtell in New York in 1957. Together they had four children. They moved to Michigan in 1963, then to Los Altos Hills, California in 1973. Following their divorce in 1982 she moved to Palo Alto where she continued working as a teacher in public schools. She was married to Dwight Dunlevie from 1992 until his passing in 2005.



Barb had many talents, and was born with the ability to play music by ear. She never had formal lessons but played piano for numerous social groups during her lifetime. She pioneeredSunday nightsing-a-longs at the Vi, and for years entertained residents with her strong musical talents. She was a gifted leader in the art group, sharing her ability to create unique decoupage pieces and vintage ancestry collages, and showcasing her work in annual art exhibits. At any one point in time Barb was reading several books. She loved adventure and was fortunate to travel all over the world with friends and family. A favorite destination was New Orleans to visit her sister Carol. She loved any card game, especially weekly bridge with her friends. But her favorite times were at the family cabin at Donner Lake, playing Bananagrams and Liar's Dice with the grandkids for hours on end. Friends and family describe Barb as beautiful, talented, witty, upbeat and always fun to be with.



She is survived by her sister Betty Hullinger who lives in Ohio, her four children Carolyn (Reed) Hornberger of Santa Barbara, Dean (Heidi) Axtell of Palo Alto, Valerie (Steve) LaCommare of Danville and Katherine (Craig) Walker of Diablo, and her eleven grandchildren; Chris (Julie), Myles (Katie), Jackie, Joe, Daniel, Grace, Alexandra, Austin, Samantha, Blake and Emily, and two great-grandchildren, Silas and Rowan. Barb will be greatly missed.



Due to Covid-19 the family will have a private memorial service at a future time.