Barbara Mcneal Blake-Topper (Blake)

Barbara McNeal Blake Topper, a resident of Medford, Oregon, formerly of Baltimore, Charlestown and Elkton, Maryland, passed from our world at 5:34 a.m., Saturday, January 26, 2013 AD.

She is survived by her husband, George Lee Topper; two sons, Gordon Lee and Geoffrey Logan; one brother, Robert S. Blake and her sister, Susan B. Hanna, both of Elkton, as well as twin granddaughters, Britney and Briana. Surviving cousins are Patrica J. Clark and Chris Gawronski, Fred, Charles, Sally and Russell Strickland, Kathleen Cole and Dexter Thompson, Jr. Her nieces, Megan Brooks, Heather Blake, and Tracy Hanna Planck reside in Tennessee and Elkton.

Barbara's indelible mark has been left on very many levels of students and associates from kindergarden through college. Friends on both coasts of our great country have been blessed by her compassion, love, and joy of music. She had great pride in both of her sons service in the Marine Corps as well as her husband's service in the US Army. Her burial marker is aptly put, it reads "Her life, a song of gratitude." Her unselfish love and influence by music and personality, and her loving compassion for all she met will forever be felt and remembered among her students and those she became associated with in teaching, administrative, and personal areas of her life. Her morals and musical gifts which she absorbed growing up and at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory of Music will be forever passed from one generation to another due to her diligence, work ethic and love of teaching music.

Her faith in God was unshakeable, she had a note on her bureau which she read daily- "Good morning, this is God. I will be with you all day, and I will be in charge. You don't have to worry about anything."

Barbara's funeral will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Medford, Oregon at 10:30am on Friday 1 February 2013. The wake and celebration of her life will follow afterwards at the Centennial Golf Club in Medford, Oregon. All who knew her are invited to both events. In lieu of flowers, please make any contributions to Archbishop Curley High School or Baltimore School for the Arts, in her name, where her sons attended.

Barbara, you are lovingly missed by your husband and siblings, sons and granddaughters, friends and students...rest now, we all love you and miss you dearly.