Barbara F. McPhee

Barbara Vernele Freitag McPhee, age 87, died at home with her family in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. She was the daughter of the late Rufus and Mary Bess (Herrick) Freitag. Born in Champaign, Illinois, on July 4, 1938, she grew up in San Marino, California. Barbi married Clyde McPhee on August 17, 1957, and they lived in Colorado, Texas, and Arkansas. She moved to Oshkosh in 2019.

She received her undergraduate education at Scripps College. Along with raising her children, Barbi had a long, productive career as an artist, educator, and organizer in the needle arts, receiving the Embroiderers’ Guild of America National Gold Thread Award in 1999. Her work and teaching inspired multitudes, and she created numerous treasured pieces.

Barbi was a voracious reader and active supporter of libraries and reading culture. She also travelled widely, ranging from a summer in Austria with the American Field Service in 1954, through a trip around the world with her mother, and numerous trips with Clyde and her family. Barbi played bridge for decades with Clyde and a wide variety of friends.

Barbi is survived by her son, Nicholas Freitag McPhee, Nic’s wife Susan Gilbert, and child Kayte (Thomas) McPhee; her daughter, Mary Elsbeth (Misty) McPhee, and Misty’s husband Darren Van Dreel, and his son Ryan Koepp; her daughter, Linda Witte, and Linda’s husband John Witte.

In addition to her parents, Barbi was preceded in death by her daughter Barbara Meta McPhee in 1965, her husband, Clyde on October 20, 2014, and her sister Elsbeth (Batie) Freitag on July 29, 2021. She was the final survivor of seven cousins descending from their grandparents, Dietrich and Verena Freitag, who established a dairy farm in 1869 in Green County, Wisconsin, after immigrating from Switzerland.

A service for Barbi will be held at Evergreen Retirement Community-Chapel on July 17, 2026, at 5PM. A time of visitation will be held from 3PM until the time of service. A private burial will take place at Highland Cemetery in Monticello, WI.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation to The League of Women Voters, Planned Parenthood, The Nature Conservancy, Evergreen Foundation, the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, the American Field Service, Friends of Smithsonian, Human Rights Campaign, or an organization of your choice.

The family would like to thank Evergreen and Aurora Hospice and the many friends who have supported us over the years.