Barbara Nell (Curry) Aikman

Barbara Nell Curry Aikman passed away on August 8,  2022 her home at Laurelbrooke Landing in Brookville, PA. She was born February 17, 1929 in Brockway, PA, the daughter of George Reynolds Curry and Mary Frances Covert Curry. She was the second of five beloved sisters, Martha Curry Van Aken, Nancy Ellen Curry, Mary Jane Curry Keller, and Sally Curry Harding.

Barbara married John E. Aikman at the Brockway Presbyterian Church in 1952. They moved to Brookville, PA in 1958 to open her husband’s law practice. He later became the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Brockway Glass, and Barbara participated in many company capacities.  They raised three children who survive. Nancy Aikman Martin (and her husband Jeff Martin), of Pittsburgh; Becky Aikman (and her husband Bob Spitz) of New York City; and Jock Aikman (and his wife Barbara Jean Aikman) of Mecosta, Michigan. Barbara is also survived by seven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren, all of whom gave her great joy. Her husband John preceded her in death, as did her parents and sisters.

Barbara was an avid sportswoman, having played tennis and golf all her life. She practiced yoga and loved cross country and downhill skiing. She spent summers at the family lake cottage in Ontario, canoeing, fishing and hiking. She taught swimming for the Brookville Area School District for many years and was the coach of Brookville YMCA age group competitive swimming program where she came to love many local swimmers as if they were her own children. For six years, her swimmers competed in state finals, an amazing achievement for a team that trained in a fifteen-yard pool. She was a longtime supporter and leader of the YMCA, the Brookville Presbyterian Church, and WRC, The Woman’s Relief Corp. Barbara and John were avid world travelers, having enjoyed the benefits of John’s aviation and airline career. They skied the Alps and hiked the Black Forest. Barbara and John attended the fifty-year anniversary of D-Day in France, and they flew home from Paris on the Concorde, among the last passengers of that aircraft. All her life, she loved reading mysteries and became an amateur WWII historian. She will be remembered fondly for her wit and vitality.

Barbara became very attached to her WRC caregivers Jennifer Claypoole, Mary Battaglia, Sherry Murray, Manda Phillips, and Carol Stephens. Their generous care eased her final months.

Family and friends will be received will be received on October 22, 2022, from 10am to 12pm at the McKinney – d’Argy Funeral Home, 345 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825. Interment will be at the Beechwoods cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Brookville YMCA.

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