Folsom Funeral Service

Barbara Hume Bartlett, a resident of Westwood, and formerly of Dedham, North Chatham, and Boston, passed away on Jan 14, 2023. She was 84 years old.

Barbara was born on December 26, 1938 in Boston, and was the second child of the late Marshall K. Bartlett and Barbara F. (Hume) Bartlett. She grew up in Dedham and in North Chatham, and attended the Winsor School until she graduated in 1956.

She decided to further her education and attended Smith College in Northampton, MA, from 1956-1959, majoring in history. After Smith College, she continued her studies at Harvard Extension, where she studied expository English and the fundamentals of financial accounting, and later attended the Harvard Center for Lifelong Learning, where she studied the fundamentals of data processing.

Barbara spent most of her life struggling with depression, beginning at a time when their were no medications and the primary treatment was Freudian Analysis. As time passed and more options became available, she benefitted from new treatments, but it was never easy for her. It had been a lifelong struggle.

In spite of that, she led a very productive and successful life, supporting herself with work and living independently in Boston. Barbara worked for over 25 years for the New England Life Center (Now called MetLife) where she held such positions as secretary, a Mortgage Commitment Analyst, and a Senior Mortgage Servicing Analyst. She also greatly enjoyed a nice walk, a good book, theology, and her gardening.

Although Barbara and her younger sister Susan were not overly close when they were young, they reconnected and became close in their 40’s, at a time when they were both in therapy, and they found good conversation about that. One of their most memorable traditions was to go to the Lexington Gardens on Memorial Day weekend so Barbara could get flower plants for her balcony, and Susan could get vegetable plants for her garden.

Her nephews Jon and Andrew were pre-teens as they got to know Barb, when she would come to Belmont for visits. She remained a part of the family, visiting for holidays and witnessing the arrival of Mary and Carla, and then her grand nephews and nieces, Elijah, Olivia, Tyler, and Micaela.

After retirement, Barbara enjoyed volunteering for several different organizations over the years. She volunteered at the Church of the Advent in Boston, where she was the secretary to the Rector, at Kings Chapel in Boston, where she was the parish secretary, and at the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, in Retail Sales.

Unfortunately Barb’s dementia began to show when she was about 76. She was able to remain in her apartment for a few more years until she moved to White Oaks Cottages at Fox Hill Village in Westwood, an assisted living facility for dementia. She lived in a cottage with 11 other residents and a caring staff. She had her own room and shared a common living/dining area where she took part in activities, socializing, and communal dining.

Barbara was the loving sister of Susan B. Demb of Westwood, and Charles J. Bartlett of N. Chatham.  She is also survived by her nephews Marshall Bartlett of Wayland, Jonathan Demb of Guilford, CT, David Bartlett of Scituate, and Andrew Demb of Cumberland, RI. Barbara also leaves behind four grandnephews and four grandnieces.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a graveside service for Barbara on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 11AM, at Union Cemetery, Rt 28, Chatham. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center, PO Box 421, N. Chatham, MA 02650, or online at https://www.chathammarconi.org/give , would be appreciated.

Comments(1)