Barbara Louise Hull McGrath of Vero Beach, Florida passed away on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana. She was 81 years old.

Funeral services will be held at 2pm on Thursday, June 30th at the First United Methodist Church, 304 South Race Street, Urbana; the Reverend Jeff Stahl will officiate.

A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, Mrs. McGrath was born on February 1, 1930 in Champaign, the daughter of Frank Leroy and Elizabeth Fritchey Hull. She married Kenneth Austin McGrath, whom she first met in first grade, on June 12, 1954 in Champaign. The couple recently celebrated 57 years of marriage; Kenneth survives.

Also surviving are three children; Daniel Austin McGrath of Monticello, Barbara Diane McGrath of Palo Alto, California and Cindy Louise McGrath of White Heath, two brothers; Lee Hull of Fresno, California and Harold Hull of Bend, Oregon, one sister; Mary Naumoff of Orrville, Ohio; cousin Ted Fritchey of Champaign and nine grandchildren.

Mrs. McGrath attended Urbana High School, becoming 'Mayor for a Day' in Urbana when she was 17 years old. There, she was on the staff of the school newspaper 'The Echo' and the yearbook 'Rosemary'; was nominated to the Big Twelve Court of Honor; held several offices for the Social Klub; was an officer for the Order of the Rainbow for Girls; became president of Psi, the scholastic honorary and chairman of the Honors Days Assembly; and was an officer of the drama club and a delegate to the American Legion Girls State. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics, majoring in Food & Nutrition. There, she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.

Mrs. McGrath had many diverse professions, Upon graduation from the U of I, Mrs. McGrath became a Home Economist for Pet Milk of St. Louis, Missouri and Illinois Power, putting on cooking schools and demonstrating appliances for crowds as large as 1500 people. During this phase of her life, she appeared on television, in numerous newspapers articles and advertisements demonstrating food recipes.

Later, Mrs. McGrath designed kitchens for houses built by her husband. She also owned and managed sixty-six U of I campus apartment units for over 20 years.

She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Urbana, member of the U of I President's Council & Alumni Association, and Life Member of the University of Illinois Foundation. She was an avid bridge player, and kept in touch with her closest friends, many known since grade school, through reunions, emails and round robin letters. She loved boating, and published the Grand Lakes Yacht Club Newsletter. She travelled all over the United States with her husband, and visited her daughter Diane in Europe many times, going to Austria, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK and Scotland.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD.

Condolences may be offered at www.renner-wikioffchapel.com.