No matter how many individuals appear in the pages of each edition of Keys Weekly, there are always so many more of our community members who deserve to be recognized. In an effort to shine a spotlight on more of the incredible individuals who live and work in these islands, Keys Weekly is proud to spotlight our Neighbor of the Week feature, dedicated to celebrating a community member with each issue.
Our neighbor of the week is Barbara Overton, who lives in Tavernier with her husband Bob Murray. A mostly-retired corporate attorney, she spent years as in-house counsel for Marriott Vacations Worldwide. Since moving to the Keys five years ago, she has become active with a variety of organizations. She is president of the League of Women Voters of the Upper Keys, vice president of the Friends of Pennekamp and Johnson state parks, the mission chair at Coral Isles Church, a member of Upper Keys Business & Professional Women and a volunteer with REEF – Reef Environmental Education Foundation.
How long have you lived in the Keys? Full-time for five years and a homeowner for nearly 25 years.
What drew you to the Keys? My husband. We were living and working in Coral Gables/Miami and started coming down periodically. Once I moved, I fell in love with the community and wanted to be a part of it.
Weirdest experience you’ve had in the Keys? There are many choices but I think it is watching a crocodile return annually to lay its eggs in the pond on our property. She’s a seasonal resident just like the snowbirds.
What do/did you enjoy most about your work? I loved when I could work across divisions bringing groups together to collaborate on solutions. Someone once described me as “a solution waiting for a problem to be answered.”
What led you to be such an active volunteer? Working with so many different people in the community is wonderful. People are so engaged and it is more of bringing people and groups together to better accomplish our complementary goals.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The number of obstacles she endured to achieve everything she did is so inspiring. She wasn’t just a lawyer; she had a great love for family and was so supportive of other women trying to succeed. And we both attended Harvard Law School.
If you had a superpower, what would it be? I’d like to have super vision. There are so many cool things to see in our world.
Favorite Food? Spaghetti Bolognese
Favorite book? “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
What are your hobbies? I’m an avid birder. I accepted a challenge on a Facebook page for birders to look for a different bird species daily and create a unique list. So far, I’m at 90 consecutive days with my goal being 120 species.
Is there a skill/talent you want to master? Watercolor. Recently, I started going to the library for the Creative Monday classes. I’m excited to paint subjects we see here in the Keys because the colors are so beautiful.
What are you most proud of as you look back on your life this far? Personally, I am proud of my children, that they are married, healthy and happy. Professionally, it is when my company went through a myriad of changes. I was able to protect my direct employees and support them as we maneuvered the changes. While companies change, it’s the people who make them work. Do you have any regrets? Not moving to the Keys sooner.
