In 1958 she visited Rottenburg and felt familiar and strange at the same time. She felt that she could no longer live in Germany. In 2006, she published her memoirs in the US. At the same time, the historian Paula Kienzle contacted her.

In 2007, Lilian Barber came to Rottenburg again. Former classmates met with her and she spoke to young people at the local high school. Since then, contact has never broken off.