Barbara Lynn Benjamin Rabin — an extraordinary individual, wife, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and friend — passed away at age 83 after a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer for over three years. Nannaw B, as she was affectionately known, was very loving and very beloved. Barbara grew up in the Texas Panhandle in the small town of Borger, where her parents Benny and Neita Benjamin had settled. Her nickname was “Benjie.” The very popular Borger girl was a member of High Double Dozen Club as a teenager. She graduated from Borger High School. Benjie then attended the University of Texas at Austin for two years, after which she transferred to the University of California at Berkeley. She graduated from Cal with a B.S. in childhood education. She was an active member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority.
Barbara remained in the Bay Area after college. She enjoyed working, and she navigated toward medical and personnel jobs. While living in San Francisco, she met Stan Rabin, a transplanted New Yorker. They were married in San Francisco at Congregation Emanu-El on Feb. 20, 1965. They resided in Sunnyvale, California. In January 1970, Barbara and Stan moved to Dallas, where Stan accepted a position with Commercial Metals Company.
The rest, as they say, is history. Stan ultimately became the CEO, a position he held for 28 years, and Barbara was a very active first lady for the burgeoning steel manufacturing, steel fabrication, scrap processing and metals company. This led to many friendships, both in the U.S. and around the globe. She also worked part time at a pediatrician’s office for 38 years.
Barbara and Stan had two children, Andy and Nancy. With Stan’s extensive travel schedule, this put added family responsibility on the very caring Barbara, which she handled with consummate skill, wisdom and grace. The Rabins in turn were blessed with five grandchildren: Reece, Alex and Cooper Rabin, and Max and Grant Rothfeder. Nannaw B was especially loved by all of them. Because they have grown up in Dallas and Houston, she was an integral part of their lives and interacted with them frequently.
Barbara was an amazing friend to so many, including friendships dating back to her time in Borger, Austin and California. Barbara still found time to give back to our community. Among the organizations that benefited from her compassion, talents, generosity and efforts were the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Temple Emanu-El Dallas, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Dallas Symphony Association, United Way, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, Texas Health Resources Foundation, the University of Texas at Dallas Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies, Vogel Alcove, Jewish Family Service and American Jewish Committee. The family requests that anyone who wishes to make a donation in her honor and memory consider one of the above.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents Herman S. and Neita Benjamin and her brother Marshall Benjamin. She is survived by her husband Stan; Andy, Ricki, Reece, Alex and Cooper Rabin; Nancy, Hank, Max and Grant Rothfeder. A private graveside service for immediate family was held at Temple Emanu-El Cemetery followed by a shiva minyan service later.
The world won’t be the same without Barbara Rabin.
