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| Barbara & our Mayor Mickey |
I first met Barbara when I would come into her office to pay my gas bill. She got a kick out of me because I would try and pay the bill before it came in the mail. ( I don't do that anymore).
Pretty soon Barbara realized that Toni & I decorated the outside of our house for most holidays. Barbara was the queen of outside decorations, I knew I couldn't compete, but she appreciated my efforts. She started to phone me to let me know it was time to put up Halloween. Sometimes the pressure was too much, especially when St Patrick's Day and Easter were within a week or two.I couldn't keep up with her energy.
In the summer we moved onto our gardens. Barbara had the most lovely flowers in the front of her house and in the garden behind her home. I could also go to her for gardening advise. One year she gave me a bag of daffodil bulbs she had divided up. The next spring she came by our house to see how the daffodils were doing. Thank heavens they came up!
Soon Barbara had me involved in the Wurtsboro Renaissance. This is a countywide effort to beautify Sullivan County. Every year I helped plant flowers in the Village's flower boxes. Barbara would come by to say hello and inspect my efforts. I suspected she moved the flowers into their correct place after I left.
All summer long Barbara could be seen watering & tending the flower boxes, the flowers monument around Mike Diamond Square and her beloved Veteran's Park.
What I will miss most is gossiping with Barbara. It was never malicious, but she knew who was pregnant, who was moving into a storefront, who had passed. She was my font of information. We would joke she was in charge of information for the Village and I had Wurtsboro Hills where my parents lived. I think we pretty much covered it.
In the last couple of years Barbara was on Village Board. I was proud to replace her spot on the Village planning board and I nominated her at the Democratic caucus even though she was a Republican. Of course she won hands down. Who wouldn't vote for her?
But basically she was just my friend. One of those people you just hit it off with. I always loved to run into Barbara in town, she always seemed so happy to see me. When I'd visit her house and we'd sit on her rocking chairs, everyone who passed by would said hello. Barbara knew everyone. She was so caring to me, Toni & my parents. She left us way too early and I feel cheated. We should have had more time with her.
A memorial service was held for Barbara in Veteran's Park. She helped create the park and she lovingly took care of it.
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| Barbara love all penguins. These penguins that were once on her lawn served as honor guards at her memorial |
Barbara was one of my dearest friends and one of the best friend the village of Wurtsboro ever had.
Wurtsboro is a much better place because of Barbara and I am a better person for having known her.
