Barbara Lee Hartranft Mesh

It is with deep love for Barbara Lee Hartranft Mesh that we announce her passing on Sept. 20 at the age of 77.

Barbara was boundlessly interested in other people, and people responded to her authentic curiosity. She got pretty much everyone to like her, and she won over some tough cases. When she heard somebody had a problem, she was confident she could find a solution, and she was usually right. She helped hundreds of people do things they didn’t think they could.

Barbara wasn’t cowed by people who would dismiss her. She had a few strong opinions that she would happily defend—like the best ice cream flavor was vanilla. She took real delight in the small transgressions of skinny dipping in the middle of the night and getting ice cream in the middle of the day. She had a puckish love of mischief and she never passed up the opportunity for a jump-scare.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Homestead, Florida, Barbara received a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Florida State University. She was a guidance counselor, first in North Carolina, then in the school district in Broward County, Florida. She later broke away from the system and taught her children at home—and helped other families do the same. A founder of Homeschoolers on the Ridge, a support group in Lake Wales, Florida, Barbara later ran a consulting service to help homeschoolers with college applications and career planning. She was an inventive strategist, and this made her a natural fit to help people navigate the educational system.

Barbara is survived by her husband Ronald, who was her companion and caregiver until the end; her son Aaron and her daughter Kathryn, whose accomplishments she was proud of and eager to detail; and her baby brother Jay, who she was unfailingly happy to see. Barbara lost many things with Alzheimer’s disease, but she did not forget who her family was, which we found remarkable.

A memorial service for Barbara will be held at the Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Lake Wales at 10 am Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. The service is open to friends and family and will also be streamed online. Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St Jude Children’s hospital.