Barbara Jeanne Nisbet

Barbara Jeanne Berger Nisbet passed away peacefully on January 22, 2026 at the age of 98 years young.

Barbara was the second oldest of five children born to Catherine Helena Gingrich and Henry Joseph Berger on April 21, 1927 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her father drove to Oregon from Nebraska with a neighbor to find work in 1936. He then sent for the family to come out on the train in 1937 when she was 10 years old. They lived in the Hawthorne area and went to St. Stephen's Catholic Church . She attended The Madeleine School, a private Catholic High School. She went on to live at Providence Portland Hospital where she finished her training to become an RN in 1948.

While Mom was working at Providence hospital, a resident physician, Tom Marks, set her up on a blind date with one of his ski buddies. She said she would meet the ski buddy at the entrance of the hospital and that way if she "didn't like how he looked" she could retreat back into the hospital. It must have been love at first sight because they were engaged during an outing to Mt. Hood and then married in 1950 at St. Stephen's and raised five children. They moved into Maywood Park in 1951 and were members of St. Rita's Catholic Church.

Mom worked for Providence Hospital initially after school in many departments including radiology and surgery. After raising her children, she was a private nurse working the evening shift for a man who passed away when he was over 100 years old. She then continued her career with Providence Child Care Center for Medically Fragile Children as a charge nurse until her retirement.

She enjoyed being a member of St. Rita's church in the Altar Society and worked at cleaning the church, doing laundry, making pies and serving them at the annual spaghetti dinner, and any other chores that needed to be done for the church. She also enjoyed sewing and making clothes, and worked consistently at cleaning, doing laundry (everyday if she could), cooking and taking care of her mother until she passed in 1996. Dad would take her on weekly drives to force her to relax and do nothing for a few hours.

When Dad died in 2018 they had been married for 68 years. She missed him terribly but now they are together again.

We pray for those who went before her, Catherine Helena Gingrich, Henry Joseph Berger, her parent's. Her siblings which includes her sisters, MaryEllen Doshas-Meucci (spouses Howard and Ray), Patricia Ann Lepley (spouse Phillip), Sr. Joan Yvonne Berger (long time companion Sr. Joan Hansen), and John Henry Berger (spouse Barbara).

Her children thank you for attending and wish for you to join us for a reception in the church hall. 

David, Jane, John, Tom & Mary

Grandchildren:

Kathleen, Rose, Nancy, Olivia, Laura, Alex, Margaret, Christopher, Sean, Kelly, Calvin & Katrina.

Great-grandchildren:

Justin, Ella Rose, August, Harper, Crew, Benny, Dean, Santana, Beverly, Audrey, Maxine, Natalie, Marshall and Jack.