Obituary of Barbara F. Zimmerman

Zimmerman, Barbara SCHENECTADY Barbara F. Zimmerman, age 51, of Schenectady, N.Y., died on Saturday, August 30, 2008 at Albany Medical Center. Barbara was born December 3, 1956 in Brooklyn, N.Y., daughter of Natalie and Marvin Zimmerman and grew up in Massapequa, Long Island. She attended the State University of New York at Albany and held degrees in social welfare, educational psychology/ special education and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. She was on the women's varsity tennis team at SUNY and remained a passionate athlete for many years and a sports aficionado her whole life. Barbara was a classroom teacher with the Capital Region Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Albany and later became a behavioral specialist. Barbara was a nationally recognized speaker on positive behavior management for children, presenting at conferences throughout the U.S including the annual conference of the Council on Exceptional Children. Barbara was often mistaken as a stand up comedian since her workshops, although serious in content, were also witty and entertaining. Through BOCES, in 1991, Barbara developed and marketed her own unique consultant service advocating for students and parents. Barbara was an accomplished author whose books included, On Our Best Behavior: Positive Behavior-Management Strategies for the Classroom; Why Can't They Just Behave? A guide to Managing Student Behavior Disorders and The Best Fit: Creating the Right LRE for Your Students with Special Needs. She is survived by her life partner of 27 years, Esther Willison of Niskayuna; her mother Natalie Zimmerman of Silver Spring Md.; her sister Jane Zimmerman of Newington, Conn.; her brother Ira Zimmerman of Silver Spring, Md.; her stepdaughter, Judith Willison of Boston, Mass.; her nieces Mollie and Dana Searle; her niece and husband Rivka and Shimmy Klein; and her nephew Pini Zimmerman. Services will be held at the Levine Memorial Chapel, 649 Washington Ave., Albany, N.Y. on Monday, September 1, 2008 at 10:00. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Barbara?s name to the Scleroderma Foundation, 300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 105, Danvers, MA 01923.