Barbara (Bobbie) Ellen Sonnenburg, 86, of Ten Mile, TN, died on Saturday, October 19, 2013.
Barbara was born Jan. 16, 1927, in Pittsburgh, PA, where she grew up with her two brothers. After graduating from Antioch College in Chemistry, she married Bob in 1949. They moved five times before settling in Memphis in 1959. Bobbie served eight years on the Memphis School Board and 16 years on the Memphis City Council. She also served for 13 years on the Tennessee Air Pollution Control Board. Bob and Bobbie retired in 1995 and moved to Ten Mile, TN, on Watts Bar Lake. Bobbie was devoted to her family, friends and civic responsibilities, and had a lifetime interest in politics. She enjoyed gardening, boating, bird-watching, stock-trading, reading, and solving complex puzzles.
She was preceded in death by her father, Julian Hast; her mother, Elinor Hast; her brother, John; and her husband Robert (Bob) Sonnenburg.
She is survived by her brother, David Hast of Boca Raton, FL; five children, Rick (Fay) of Monument, CO, Bill (Earline) of Signal Mountain, TN, John (Sally) of Urbandale, IA, Roger (Teresa) of Mishawaka, IN and Peggy Griffin (Mark) of Ten Mile; ten grandchildren, Bill, Mike, David, Christian, Dan, Andrew, Philip and Brooklyn Sonnenburg and Scott and Robert Griffin; and one great-grandchild, Tristan Sonnenburg.
Her family will be receiving friends at the Bowers Funeral Home in Decatur, TN, on Saturday, November 2, from 3-4 p.m., with a memorial service to follow at 4 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the First Unitarian Church of Memphis.
Bowers Funeral Home has charge of the arrangements.