Barbara A. (Preston) Rokahr

Barbara A. (Preston) Rokahr, 65, joined her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on June 27 after several years of health issues, culminating in what her doctors suspected was Corticobasal Syndrome, a rare form of Parkinson’s disease. Barbara, the daughter of Robert and Jean Preston, who predeceased her, was born on August 3, 1955. She attended St. Ann’s School in Taunton and graduated from Bishop Ludden High School.

She received her bachelor of science degree in medical technology in 1976 from a joint five-year program of SUNY Potsdam and the SUNY College of Health-Related Professions at Upstate. Barbara held several positions in the Clinical Pathology Laboratory at Upstate Medical Center/Downtown campus. She retired in August 2017, after 41 years. During her entire career, she never failed to remember that each test she ran represented a person whose care depended upon the results of that test.

Barbara and her husband, John E. Rokahr, Jr. were married at St. Ann’s Church in Taunton on July 19, 1986, and would have celebrated their 35TH wedding anniversary this month. They have resided in Camillus for the past 33 years. Barbara loved music of all kinds, and for many years she and John looked forward to spending a part of their summer vacation at the Kingdom Bound Festival at Darien Lakes.

The worship music and special moments she experienced there served to deepen her faith. That faith, as well as her love of people, and especially children, was to become the seed for many of the couples’ charitable endeavors through the years.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by two sisters, Susan Preston and Sally Preston (Ann Auwarter); brother, David Preston (his wife, Celia, predeceased him); seven nieces and nephews; seven great nieces and nephews.

A memorial service, to be held at Westside Community Chapel in Amboy, is in the planning stages, the date and time of which are still to be determined.