(Nee Barker), aged 71, of High Ridge, MO, died on Saturday, September 7th, passing peacefully at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield with her children and husband at her side.
Barbara was born on October 3rd, 1947 in St. Louis. In 1969, at the age of 21, she established Barbara Craig’s Dance Studio following her graduation from Webster University. She moved the studio to St. Louis in 1992 under the name Dance Project St. Louis, and to Webster Groves in 2017 under the name SkyStone Conservatory of the Arts. Barbara was devoted to arts education and believed in the value of the arts to elevate and improve the lives of children. In the fifty-year history of her career, over forty of her students received college scholarships for dance and academics. Barbara was proud to share her love of the arts with her children, her students and their families, and the communities surrounding her business and home. She was committed to finding meaningful performance opportunities for her students, and welcomed dance friends from across the St. Louis area to be part of community performances. She will be remembered as a beloved mother, wife, teacher, and artist who created beautiful memories for her students and their families with every dance class and every performance. Barbara’s children plan to continue her legacy of arts education in her honor and in honor of the hundreds of lives she touched as a teacher and friend.
She is survived by her husband, Stephen P. Burton, her daughter Jennifer L. Medina (nee Craig), her daughter Deborah L. Fahnestock (nee Craig) and by her students and their families.
Visitation will be held at Kutis Funeral Home in Affton on Thursday, September 12th from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Funeral will be at Kutis on Friday, September 13th at 11:00 am.