Michael Barth

Published 12:09 pm Friday, July 26, 2024

Michael Barth

February 11, 1946 – July 24, 2024

Michael Barth died peacefully at home, on July 24, 2024, surrounded by close familyand friends. His life celebration was held Saturday July 27 at his home.

Michael was born February 11, 1946 in NYC to Sylvia Goodman, Julian Barth, and Joseph Traub. He descended from Robert Cushman (Mayflower procurement officer), Thomas Cushman (Plymouth Colony ruling elder), and General Abner Doubleday (who fired the civil war’s first union shot at Fort Sumter).

Many generations of his family worked at the intersections of art, publishing, and somatic medicine. His maternal grandparents were patrons of Wilhelm Reich’s foundational contributions to somatic psychology and helped bring the work to broader audiences. Grandfather Simeon Tropp and granduncle were Medical Orgonomists.

Family friendships led Michael to study at England’s alternative Summerhill Boarding School. He lived in London until 30, where he participated and advocated for early psychedelic therapies.

Returning to Ashland, he co-hosted many therapeutic communities (Reichian, Gestalt, movement, Jewish Renewal (Ashland Havurah’s first meetings were held in the community’s living room) and later meditation retreats with his wife Lucy (Swami K.M Tayamanivar and Reiki).

In the 1980s, Michael chronicled the faces of Ashland with his photographs. Bathtub Originals’ albums are publicly available at https://www.facebook.com/leapmind/photos_albums.

Michael is described by friends as “thoughtful, talented, steady and down-to-earth”. Michael enjoyed jamming and exploring many musical genres with friends. He was a songwriter and performing musician in the Rogue Valley, playing stand-up bass, guitar, and piano. He played in rock, country, and jazz bands including Iron Mule, Milestone, and Stardust Trio. For years he hosted the jazz jam session as La Baguette and played with Paul Schmeling Quartet at Martino’s.

Michael is survived by wife, Lucy Barth, daughter Crystal Stranger and her husband Andre Pattantyus, granddaughters Synne and Timea, and sister Suzan Goodman and her husband Louis Pollack.