Amherst, 79, Barbara Lee Sutherland (Hardgrow) departed this life surrounded by loving family on Sunday, September 7, 2014, at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her death was of natural causes. She was born on January 8, 1935, in Cincinnati, Ohio to Harold Davis and Mabel E. Hardgrow. She was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved husband Sylvester L. Sutherland. She leaves to cherish her memory, her sister, Constance Ford, and her brother, Gary Hardgrow (Cynthia Rene) both of Ohio. She’s survived by her loving children (Donna Hancock, Douglas Kearse, Ruth Sampson (Raymond), Anthony Dunson, Eric Dunson (Thala), Kristy Sutherland, Stephanie Dunson (Amy Cheng), Lisa Johnson (Greg), and Tracy Sutherland); sixteen grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews; three “grand dogs,” and one “great grand dog.” She will be deeply missed by Barbara Cole, Nancy Pagano, Janice Lewis, Barbara Jo McDaniel her extended San Diego family, and other dear friends, family, and neighbors to numerable to list.

A retired LPN and piano teacher, Barbara relocated to Amherst MA from Greenfield OH in 2004, to be near daughters living in the area, but soon made the Pioneer Valley very much her own home. She loved Amherst and very quickly made her mark as one of the town’s most visible and active citizens. She was an avid volunteer and a constant presence in the Bangs Community Senior Center; she was the current upstanding President of the Senior Center’s Senior Travel Club, has served on the Board of Directors of Highland Valley Elder Services, was a current member of the Senior Center’s Council on Aging since 2004, was a current and long-standing member of the Nutrition Site Council of Highland Valley, conducted blood pressure screenings, and has been a receptionist for the Senior Center since 2005. She was also a very active member of the Goodwin Memorial AME Zion Church in Amherst, where she served as the church pianist and member of the choir; she was a current member of the Amherst Area Gospel Choir.

Barbara will be remembered by anyone who met her for her radiant smile and contagious laughter, which made her the light of any room she entered. She loved her family and friends, travel, good food, music, football, her church, and the richness and variety of her life in Amherst. She will be deeply, deeply missed.

There will be services in both Massachusetts and Ohio. In Amherst, services will be held today, Wednesday September 10th at Goodwin Memorial AME Zion Church at 6pm followed by a reception at the Bangs Senior Center.  In Ohio, services will be held in Greenfield (Ohio), at Shorter Chapel AME Church on Saturday, September 13th at 10:30am.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Arthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 96280 Washington, DC 20077 (http://www.arthritis.org). Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.