Barbara Anne Forde, formerly of Bag Makers (asi/37940), passed away suddenly on March 31. She was 69.

Barbara Anne Forde, Bag Makers

Born to the late John and Dorothy (Schultz) Forde in Waukesha, WI, Forde was raised in Walnut Creek, CA. Upon graduation from Carondelet High School in Concord, she attended Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, where she majored in art.

Forde spent 45 years in sales, beginning in retail. She spent much of the first half of her career at Koret of California, a San Francisco-based women’s apparel company that sold to department stores such as Nordstrom and J.C. Penney. Eventually, she moved to the promo industry as a sales rep for Senator Pen. “When Barbara wrote with a pen in her beautiful handwriting, she could inspire people to buy them,” says her sister Dianne. “She built many relationships with people throughout the industry during her long tenure at that company.”

She then spent nearly 15 years at Union, IL-based Bag Makers, where she represented customers in Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona; she retired from her job as West Coast sales manager in 2019 due to health concerns.

“Barbara has been an integral member of our sales team over the years and is beloved by the many customers she has served during this time,” said the company upon her retirement. “She was exceptional at forming strong relationships with our customers and is well-known for her big smile and enthusiasm. This was never more apparent than at industry trade shows, where customers would line up just to speak with Barbara.”

While at Bag Makers, Forde played a role in the supplier’s move toward selling nonwoven totes. Soon after she saw the bags at a grocery store in Phoenix, she went to company founders Chuck and Maribeth Sandford to discuss the burgeoning trend she was spotting at retail. Bag Makers began offering the Big Thunder Tote, which has since become one of the supplier’s most popular product styles. She loved working with clients and Bag Makers’ Design Centre Department to create custom bags for promotional campaigns.

“The recipe for success is being kind and thoughtful,” Forde told her colleagues upon her retirement, “and always making people feel good about themselves when they are with you – not the other way around.”

In her spare time, Forde crocheted blankets; painted; created bound memory books by hand; sewed custom garments and quilts; and arranged flowers, a skill she honed while working at a florist in her teenage years.

“Barbara lived life to its fullest and energized all who knew her,” said the family in a statement. “Her sense of humor, joviality and extraordinary generosity made people want to stretch minutes with her into hours, as demonstrated in the numerous Hallmark Channel marathons she shared with her sister Dianne. She treasured her family and friends as true commitments and selflessly gave herself to these relationships. Barbara’s zest for life, ability to light up a room and love of friends and family will be kept in our hearts forever.”

Forde is survived by sisters Dianne Forde, Christine Tomberlin and Mary King; nieces Sarah Forde, Allison Tomberlin and Ashley Chi, and nephews Brett Tomberlin, and John and Jacob King, to whom she was “Auntie Barbie”; as well as many friends.

A prayer service will be held on Tuesday, April 26, at Hull’s Funeral Home, 1139 Saranap Avenue in Walnut Creek, beginning with visitation at 5 p.m., followed by the rosary at 6 p.m. The family will invite attendees to share their stories and memories beginning at 6:30 p.m..

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated the following day, Wednesday, April 27, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 2039 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Walnut Creek, followed by a procession to the gravesite and internment service at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, 1965 Reliez Valley Road in Lafayette. Guests are invited to a reception immediately following. If you’d like to contribute photos to the memorial slideshow, please email Dianne Forde at dforde@sbcglobal.net.

Memorial donations may be made to Make-A-Wish at wish.org.

“We’ve all been blessed to have had Barbara in our lives, and she'd be thrilled for us to embrace life as she did,” said the family. “Barbara’s glow will continue to light our lives for years to come.”