Barbara Haertlein, In Memoriam
Dan Rosenthal | Published on 4/27/2023
Barbara Haertlein, In Memoriam
By Dan Rosenthal
This morning I learned of the recent passing of Barbara Haertlein. It is with great sorrow that I report to you that Barbara lost her decades long battle with cancer on Wednesday at her new home in Maryland. Her incredible courage and will to never surrender to her illness kept her with us for many years beyond the statistical probability – something that was never a surprise to Barbara!
Barbara spent her adult life as a research scientist for Johnson & Johnson but her real love was for her animals and for our sport. Her two horses, Alex and Cooper were beautiful gentle giants to whom she was absolutely devoted. Both of the “boys” predeceased Barbara, Cooper by only a couple of weeks.
Barbara was the 1997 recipient of the ADS President’s Award for her ceaseless devotion to driving, most notably as founder and co-chair with her sister Patricia of the Hunterdon County Horse and Pony Association (my first ever drive away from my farm was at one of their events) and as a solid supporter and fixture of the Gladstone Driving Event organizer team for decades.
All of us who knew Barbara will always miss her and always remember her love of animals and of our sport.
A memorial will be held in New Jersey later in the year.