Barbara Rosemary Hartnagel

On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, Barbara “Barb” Rosemary (Kaiser) Hartnagel passed away peacefully at the age of 85. Barb was born on January 24, 1941, to Charles and Mary (Devanney) Kaiser in St. Louis, Mo. The eighth of nine children, she was the only one to get her mother’s sparkling blue eyes. Barb attended St. Mark's High School. A striking beauty, she was stopped on the way home from school by a photographer from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat Magazine for a photo and appeared on the cover of the September 5, 1954 issue. She met her husband, Albert “Al” Hartnagel, as a freshman and married him after her senior year on August 9, 1958. Their first son, Mark, was born the following year. In 1961 and 1966, they welcomed Donna and Bryan. The family lived in Hazelwood, Mo. until 1974, when they moved to a 60-acre farm in Marthasville, Mo. There, Barb had a large garden whose bounty would serve as cornerstones for her delicious meals. She was an excellent cook and her desserts, in particular, were not soon to be forgotten. Barb loved collecting antiques and could be found searching for treasures at auctions and sales with Bryan in tow. She was an antiques dealer for several years and always had an eye for interesting old pieces. She loved sewing, quilting, and rug hooking and created many beautiful keepsakes over the years. She was an active member of The Rug Hookers Guild, Questors, and volunteered at St. John’s Mercy for 25 years. Barb and Al traveled extensively, visiting Hawaii, France, Greece, Alaska, among others. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2023. Her family and friends will remember the caring, funny, and compassionate woman they knew and loved. She is preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Mary Kaiser, her husband, Al Hartnagel, and her siblings Robert (Joyce) Kaiser, Mary (Bob) Peterson, Charles (Barbara) Kaiser, Kathleen (Harold) Bush, Bernard (Jane) Kaiser, James (Sally) Kaiser, and John Kaiser. She is survived by her brother, Tom (Debbie) Kaiser, her sister-in-law Carol Kaiser; her children, Mark Hartnagel, Donna Bunge, and Bryan (Susan) Hartnagel; her grandchildren, Julie (Ben) Whitsitt, Amy (Travis) Welsh, Kaitlyn Hartnagel, Brooke Hartnagel; and her great-granchildren, Lydia and Wyatt Whitsitt.