Barbara Virginia Bernlohr

Barbara Bernlohr was born on March 4, 1948 in Columbus, Ohio, the second of four children of Pastor Fred Bernlohr and Mary (nee Bain) Bernlohr. She was a talented athlete, devout Christian, and an active member of her family and her community.

She excelled in sports as an athlete and coach and was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at Euclid High School near Cleveland, Ohio. In 1966, Barb transferred from Wittenberg University to UCLA, where she was a 4-year starter on the women’s basketball team. After obtaining a BS degree, Barb became a high school coed Physical Education teacher at El Segundo High School in Los Angeles, where she coached multiple teams, including the girls’ softball team which won California’s CIF Southern Section championship (State title) in 1976.

After 5 years of teaching, Barb became the first female collegiate athlete to join Athletes in Action (AIA), the sports division of Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as CRU), where she helped start their women’s athletic ministry. During her 42 years at AIA, she took basketball teams to 36 different countries and worked with some of the top women’s basketball players and coaches in America. She served in AIA’s national headquarters in Ohio for 14 years (1993-2007), then transferred to AIA’s Colorado office, where she served as a Ministry Development Coach until her retirement in 2018.

In Colorado Springs, Barb was an active member of Village Seven Presbyterian Church and served as a volunteer director of an after-school program that supports single mothers and their elementary school-age children.

She passed away at her home due to natural causes on May 2026. She is survived by 3 brothers (Tom, Jim, and John), their spouses, 7 nieces and nephews, and 6 grand nieces and nephews.

A memorial service for Barbara will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. at Village Seven Presbyterian Church, 4040 Nonchalant Circle S., Colorado Springs, CO 80917

In lieu of flowers, please give a memorial in honor of Barbara Bernlohr to:

Missions Ministry at Village Seven Presbyterian Church, 4040 Nonchalant Circle S., Colorado Springs, CO 8081; or

Athletes In Action Barb Bernlohr Memorial https://give.cru.org/1389362