Dr. John Alden Barbaro, born in Boston on September 9, 1946, to Deborah Sampson (Lee) Barbaro and Santo Carmelo (Samuel) Barbaro, then of Roxbury, MA, was a gifted psychologist and artist, beloved husband, treasured father, and active member of the Amherst community. Growing up in Quincy, MA, he attended UMass at Amherst as an undergraduate from 1964 to 1969, and then as a graduate student, where he earned a Doctor of Education in 1982. He married the love of his life, Susan Trottier Barbaro, on May 28, 1970, and they founded the private therapy practice High Street Therapy Associates in 1980, where he worked until he became incapacitated by his illness, progressive supranuclear palsy. John was involved in many local organizations throughout his life: President and Paul Harris Fellow of the Amherst Rotary Club, President of the Bioenergetic Society of CT, a member of the UU Society of Amherst, Assistant Scout Master of Troop 504, a Mason, a rank of 6th Yodan blackbelt in Aikido, and later a practitioner of Tai Chi. He was an active anti-war protester during the Vietnam War and was a passionate metal sculptor.
John leaves behind his wife of 49 years, Susan Trottier Barbaro; son, Gabriel A. T. Barbaro, daughter-in-law, Kaye Tengco Barbaro, and grandson, Theodore Jules Omer Barbaro, of Jersey City, New Jersey; daughter, Alethea B. T. Barbaro, son-in-law, Daniel Balague Guardia, and granddaughter, Nuria Susan Balague Barbaro, of Cleveland, Ohio; his older brother, Lee Barbaro, and sister-in-law, Chiyomi Kiode, of Kyoto, Japan; his younger brother, George Brooks, and nephew, John Woods Brooks, of Tampa, Florida and Louisiana, respectively; his youngest brother, Henry Barbaro and nephew, Lee Barbaro, of Boston; and many dear cousins and friends.
Calling hours are 5-7pm on Tuesday, November 19, at the Douglass Funeral Home. Burial will be Wednesday, November 20, at 10am in Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst. A Memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s name to Cure PSP, 1216 Broadway, 2nd Floor, NY, NY 10001.