Barbara Aldrich was born September 25, 1935 in Natick, Ma to Fred and Elaine Smith. She was raised on a farm with cows, pigs and chickens and ate veggies everyday which made her strong, (her words.) This is where she found her love for growing things. Her gardens and all of her flowers were one of the many things that brought her joy. Barbara also loved cooking and baking, which she did often. She shared many meals with friends and family. From her cowboy cookies,and whoopie pies to her famous sausage soup, she was always happy to make something just to share and enjoy with others.
She moved to Pelham in her late teens to help her sister Nancy and her brother in law Bert Ketchen with their business. There she met and fell in love with Teddy Weaver. They were married for a short time due to his untimely death in 1959. They had two wonderful daughters Janet and Valerie Weaver.
Barbara stayed in Amherst and married Brook Aldrich where they had a daughter Julie. The family moved to Leverett where she raised her girls with a strict hand and lot of laughter and love.
Barbara was a vital member of the Amherst Rotary club. She helped organize and put together the Teddy Bear Rally, which was a big attraction for the town of Amherst for many years.
Barbara worked at UMass of 32 years where she spent most of her career managing the Fine Arts Center. This is where Barbara really came alive. She loved the Fine Arts Center, it was her joy and her passion. She worked with a wonderful crew of people, who became not only her friends for life, but part of her family. She would start a conversation with anyone around her, and before you knew it they were laughing out loud and becoming her friend. She touched everyone with her love of laughter, her quick wit, her sense of fairness, adventure, compassion, and her pure lust for life. She was unstoppable.
She was a funny, kind, independent, compassionate, politically minded woman who was never afraid to speak her mind.
She had a house built for her in Hadley, with a lot of thought and care, she stayed in what became her oasi until the end of her life.
She was close to her brothers and sisters Nancy (Bert) Ketchen, Pam ( Newt) Youst, Fred (Chris) Smith and David (Vinn) Smith.
She will be missed mostly by her daughters Janet, Valerie and wife Robin, Julie Woynar, and adopted daughter Debroah and her wife Cheryl; she was a proud grandmother of Daniel LaClaire, Melissa Steinbeck, Charlotte and Joe Woynar, and great grandmother to Jordan and Mark LaClaire and Vivian Franceschi.
Following Barbara wishes there will be no services and please no donations. The family will share a date for a get together soon. She would like you to write down one of your many memories of her and share it with her daughters.
As you, her friends, are sad at the loss of such a spirited woman please remember: Grief is just love with no place to go.