Barbara Kobrak

Ingrid Barbara Kobrak, 83, died on November 7th, 2024, at StoryPoint Kalamazoo. Born and raised in Lodz, Poland, her family moved to Germany and then to Canada where they settled in Montreal and later Toronto. Barb is a graduate of East York Collegiate Institute, and York College at the University of Toronto, where she studied German, French, and Russian, and Yale University where she earned an MA in International Relations.

Barb married Peter Kobrak in 1964. They had 59 happy years together. They eventually settled in Kalamazoo where Peter taught at Western Michigan University, while Barb chose to focus her energies on raising their three sons. She is survived by Peter, three sons and three daughters in law: George (Deborah), Mark (Marcy), and Harry (Naoko) as well as six grandchildren: Max, Rowena, Jacob, Benjamin, Kai, and Miki and two great-grandchildren: Henry and Jane Kobrak. Barb was preceded in death by her father, George Bennich, and her mother, Jadwiga Gorska.

Barb especially enjoyed week long family vacations ranging from the Caribbean to South Haven as well later as Christmases at StoryPoint Kalamazoo when the families came from New York, Cleveland, and Asia. Barb also liked taking care of her dogs, traveling abroad, particularly to Scandinavia, dinner & theater with Peter

and with friends and sharing her interest with Lego and Harry Potter with the younger family generations.

A memorial service will be announced at a later time. A memorial donation to the Kalamazoo Humane Society would be greatly appreciated.