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STEPHENSON -- Barbera W. Stephenson, an attorney and engineer, passed away among loved ones on Tuesday, October 4, 2005 following a long bout with heart disease. She is survived by her husband, Jerry; son, Tom; sister-in-law, Pat Randall and husband, Brad; cousin, Marilyn Dissell and husband Bruce. Barbera was born to Mr. and Mrs. Emerson D. Wertz in Bryan, OH on December 10, 1938. She attended Smith College and went on to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering in the class of 1960. She married her husband and best friend of 45 years, Gerard J. Stephenson, Jr., on June 25, 1960 on Chapel Island in Upper Saranac Lake, NY. Barbera began her long and distinguished career as the first female engineer of a promising start-up company outside of Boston, Digital Equipment Corporation (now part of HP). Her work at Digital not only resulted in the granting of a patent in her name for an analog to digital converter system, but the publishing of a number of technical manuals, the authorship of which allowed her to continue her lifelong love of writing. While living in Maryland in 1969, Barbera was awarded an additional patent on the "Punch Taster's Guide," an aide for reducing punch recipes for tasting purposes. On March 1, 1970, Barbera and Jerry welcomed their son, Thomas into the world. A few years later, the Stephenson family moved to New Mexico, which has been their proud and welcoming home ever since. In 1978, Barbera chose to fulfill her desire to actively right wrongs and represent the interests of ordinary citizens, particularly women, by pursing the law. She graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1981, excelling in particular in estate planning and taxation-a testament to her unique combined strengths in both writing and numbers. Barbera spent the next twenty years in private practice in Albuquerque, providing legal advice to hundred of clients on topics from real estate law to estate planning to, of course, taxation. She was recognized multiple times in the Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who of American Law, and served in 1995 as the Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Practioners Section of the New Mexico State Bar Association. In 1992, she authored "Financing Your Home Purchase in New Mexico," a how-to guide for saving money and avoiding problems when financing a home. A service in Barbera's memory will be held on Wednesday, October 12, 2005, 11:00 a.m., at French Mortuary, Lomas Blvd. Chapel, 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE. Interment will follow at Sunset Memorial Park, 924 Menaul NE, follow by a celebration of her life at her home. Friends may visit Tuesday, October 11, 2005, at French Mortuary, 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. French Mortuary 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE 275-3500
        Published on: Sun October 09, 2005